Happy New Year 2013!

Wishing you all a happy new year!  Bang on a kitchen pot and make some noise!...there's a whole new year ahead of us!

What a Pleasure to Meet you Bruno and Eric!

Felipe is all smiles holding his two nephews, Bruno and Eric.


Me and Eric, enjoying a quiet moment.


Proud papa, Sergi, giving bruno his 6:00pm snack.

Felipe and I had the great pleasure to meet our two newborn nephews for the first time this morning after we arrived to Barcelona.  These two little guys are super cute, and very sweet.  We can't wait to see them grow!  But for now we'll take all the cuddle time we can get with them.  More photos to come (most probably!) and pictures with the proud mama soon too :)

So Long El Paso, See you Later Gracie!

At the bowling alley with Mom.


By the Transmountail Pass in El Paso, TX.

I have had a great time with my mom and sisters in El Paso and Ruidoso. Grace is leaving soon for Afghanistan, and we all were very fortunate to spend some quality time together. It will be many months before we see grace again in person, but we're looking forward to many emails, Skype calls, and letters.

We love you Grace, and we wish you the best of luck and hope that you stay safe throughout your deployment :)

Scenic Drive in El Paso

Yesterday we took a beautiful jaunt along Scenic Drive in El Paso during sunset/dusk.  It was a really amazing view of the city, and beyond that the Mexican border.  I had a bit of fun climbing among the rocks to get some pictures of the cacti - I've never really been to a desert before, so it's cool to see the desert flora.

Four Years Later...

It's been four years today since Dad passed away.  I still miss him a lot - some moments hurt more than others.  The loss of a parent doesn't feel so raw after a bit of time passes.  But I wouldn't mind hearing his voice again, calling me on the other side of the phone "Hey, Azniv!"  Or sitting down to another game of backgammon with him...

Just a reminder to love your family - and to enjoy the time that you have with them. Especially through out the year, and not just during the holidays.

Christmas by the Fires

We're celebrating Christmas tonight together, as Grace will be deploying to Afghanistan on the 18th.  Mom, Mariam and I arrived to El Paso late last night, and today we drove to Ruidoso, New Mexico to stay at a cabin.  The cabin is older, in a vintage kind of way, and there was the smell of fires burning in the air.  We set up a fire in the fireplace, and decided to add a few videos fireplaces too (see the six on the mantle!).

It's nice to have the time together, and we'll be enjoying what little bit more we have before Grace heads out.  If you want her address while she'll be in Afghanistan, just send me a note or leave a comment.

Enjoy your holidays!  Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!