June 4, 2007: One Big Day

This entry is for my baby-girl Sydney.

Syd, I wanted you to know what a big day today was. First, just let me say that the last three months have been the best of my life. I had some great moments that I've enjoyed like the Eggos provincial championship and those four months off with Christina, Green Eggs & Ham and the last year of university with Ben and the boys, the high school production of Grease and courting your mom (haha), our wedding week in Mexico, Paris with your mom, New Zealand & Vietnam with the grandparents-Ian-Kath-Chris, and a host of other times. But getting to spend everyday with you and watching you grow up, traveling to Edmonton and Calgary to spend time with our family and friends, and just living-in-the-moment truly for the first time in my life has been fantastic. You have completely changed my outlook on life, what I want to accomplish in life, and what I truly value. You make my life with mom infinitely better. I love you.

Today was a big big day. I wanted you to know that:
1. I accepted the job with Electronic Arts today, and your mom and I committed to having you grow up for the next few years at least in Vancouver. Along the way, I realized there are only two questions I needed to answer: 1) What is the place for the three of us to live that maximizes our chance at happiness and 2) what would be the best job in that place. Though I desperately wanted to move us to Calgary so that we could live close to Ian, Katherine, Ben, Kim, Elia and even Uncle Lam, Co Hanh, Jade & Vince (not to mention closer to Edmonton), having had a number of discussions with mom it was obvious that mom's health in Vancouver was the most important factor in our decision. Once that decision was made it was obvious that EA was the job.

2. We booked our cruise to Hawaii! Even though mom hates when I say that I promised to "take" her on a cruise (because she's an independent woman that can do those things for herself y'know and doesn't need me to "take" her anywhere) the net-net is that we are taking you to Hawaii for two nights on waikiki beach and then a seven-day cruise. So when you tell us "you don't take me/ us kids anywhere but Edmonton/ Calgary", just remember we did take you to Hawaii when you where young.

3. We're starting to invest in real estate in Edmonton too. We have already done something with Ong Noi and hope to do some smaller deals (Ong Noi is too rich for us). In addition to a great lunch with Rob MacDonald today (I wonder if you'll know him), mom and I know how important it is to build our equity.

I have loved these three months with you. You've taught me so much. I was so gung-ho about ambition and professional growth before, and I knew I had to be because when you came along I knew that life would change. What I didn't realize is what you would teach me. I've learned to enjoy everyday and not be obsessed with growing for the future; to be smarter about how I spend my time and to build my equity so that our money can work for us so we have more time with you; and that you and your mom are the most important things in the world to me and to understand what that truly means.

I hope that regardless of where we live, that you always feel close to Uncle Ian and Auntie Katherine, Uncle Ben, Auntie Kim and your cousin Elia, and of course all your family in Edmonton and Calgary.

And don't hate me when you realize one day that instead of living in Vancouver and always traveling to Alberta, that we could have lived in Orlando right by Disney World.

Love you.
Dad