Father-Daughter Dance

On June 18th, David got a special Father's Day gift. He and Sybella attended a Father-Daughter Dance. It was a special date night. There was dancing, games, activities, and lots of fun had by them both!

Daddy even picked out and bought Sybella a special new dress for the event.

How adorable!

Virginia's Gold Cup

In early May, David and I had the opportunity to attend Virginia's Gold Cup in The Plains, Virginia. For those who don't know, this is a horse race on a grass track. It is great fun. There is food, hats, horses, more hats, seersucker suits, the races, and lots of socializing. Thanks to our friends Jamil and Lambeth for inviting us!

Camping!

Over Spring Break (April 2011), David and the older boys went on their first camping Trip. They spent three days in the Shenandoah National Park. We aren't campers (anymore...we did enough of that when we were in the Army). But, David wanted to create a special Father-Son Memory and he felt like the best way to do that was to take all of them a bit out of their comfort zones, away from their electronics (His and the Kids') and just have some fun! They enjoyed hiking, climbing, and Smores-making. 

Army Intelligence Ball

On Sept 18, David and I again had the opportunity to attend the Army Intelligence Ball at the Crystal City Hyatt. It was the 30th Annual Ball and it was a spectacular time. We like the chance to get all dressed up and you can't beat hanging out with a table full of people that you enjoy spending time with! This year I did leave just a tad early, I had a half-marathon to run the next morning-- Staying out 'till midnight in 3 inch heels doesn't match well with getting up at 5am to run 13.1 miles (post coming soon).

He doesn't always smile for pics. :0)

Obstacles Welcome...

I enjoyed reading about the career path of such a successful leader in
business.

Ralph de la Vega, a native of Cuba, became President and CEO of AT&T
Mobility and Consumer Markets in October 2008. He is responsible for
all wireline as well as wireless networks. Previously, he had been in
charge at Cingular Wireless and assumed further responsibilities when
AT&T consolidated. Before that, he was the President of Latin America
Operations, and the President of Broadband and Internet Services for
Bellsouth's operations in ten countries.

Hearing the set backs and challenges he faced was really intriguing
given the perspective of being a customer in the wireless market and
watching how it played out in the public spotlight. While he offered
'his' process and steps to success...I think the value came through in
his anecdotes and openness about the resistance he faced and failures
like AT&T's U-Verse Project. His book addressed rumors, gossip, and
drift within an organization as well as how to build a team for a
major project like his solution on on the AT&T and Cingular merger
(that alone was well worth the purchase of this book).

David

Teaching Connor to Sail...

No words needed!

Vacation, Relaxation, & Expectation

Enjoying our time in Jamaica (kinda).

Like I've always said, I am more about transparency than some touchy feely posting. The first 24 hours was rough. DC left me so hyped and tense that it took all of the first day and most of day two to unwind. So now we are starting to relax...some lazy river, canoeing, and body surfing.

I know some of you think all those activities can't possibly produce relaxation but when your a Simon it's more about distraction and changing the focus of our attention. To prove that point...I read 74 emails during the first day of my vacation (hardly a vacation)...so I unplugged and stopped reading today.

So vacation is going great, the relaxation has begun, but the expectation was skewed (according to Sharon). We left the kids to play and disappeared to the floating river to grab drinks and drift along. Topic: My EXPECTATION of vacation.

See, my expectation of vacation is relaxation...which I accomplish with a whole lot of peace and quiet, several books, and adult beverages. When you have four kids...this isn't going to happen. So I have had to reframe my thinking and expectation of what this vacation would be like.

More to follow this week on being TIRED vs. being RESTED which is what really came out of today.

Bottom line- day two in Jamaica has been wonderful and it was time to get away. Cheers to all my friends.

David

End of the Summer

I took sometime tonight to figure out how I could get back to blogging. 2010 has been a huge disappointment for me in the simple fact that I failed to share my journey with my friends and colleagues.

The pace of DC and business in general has kept me focused but yet distracted. Focused on revenue and support to my clients but distracted from the things that had made me successful. During my vacation over the next two weeks I hope to find that focus and passion again.

Part of my secret to sharing the stories more readily will be the fact that I can now post blogs through email. Since 80% of my life has been consumed by "electronic" mail ....I figured I should figure out how to maximize it to benefit my goals.

Cheers in the remainder of 2010!

David

First Solo Flight

By: Flight Instructor Bob Garity

Simon says, "Turn me loose!" And we did. Congratulations to David Simon who has been chomping at the bit to complete his First Solo Flight. Weather conditions at JYO (Leesburg Executive Airport) this morning were ideal and David became "one" with his Diamond Star. His confident smile was evidence that he thoroughly enjoyed his 1st experience as "Pilot in Command."

**Photo is not the exact plane David used but is an example of the Diamond DA40 that he regularly uses.

ASBC Advisory Board

The American Small Business Coalition has named David as their newest Advisory Board Member.

Here is the link to the Press Release--

Congratulations to David and the ASBC!

Army Military Intelligence Ball

On Saturday night, we had our first date WITHOUT the baby: the Army Military Intelligence Ball, a formal event! So, all moms know that means it'll be lots of fun and yet a bit painful to need to wear a formal 4 months after your 4th child is born. But, it turned out awesome!

We had a great night, great friends sitting at our table, enjoyed time with each other, and finished it with a ride home in the convertible.

Connor told David that if he got a new haircut and lost the glasses, he could be James Bond--so David decided to pose (he also earned mega-husband points by calling me his "bond girl")

Our friends Guy and Maggie Timberlake

Kelly Carper and I hanging out at the end of the ball.

When we got home (LATE), my mom was still holding the little man. Thanks Mom!!

Date Night-

Every once in a while David takes Sybella on a “Date Night.” This is usually an afternoon or evening where she gets a little dressed up and goes out with Daddy for a milkshake. Their destination of choice is Baskin Robbins. It only takes about 30 minutes but it is the highlight of her week!
Sybella loves milkshakes, almost as much as she loves her daddy. This is an awesome tradition that allows them to spend some 1-on-1 time together on a regular basis and develop relationship even in toddler-hood.
Here is a picture of tonight's "Date Night."

David, Work, and Home

David is an Awesome Husband!
Right in the Midst of having a new baby, David started a new job. He was not looking for a new job, but the right job came along and we felt like, even in the middle of a major family transition, it was the time to move. Now, has that been easy? Of course not, it never is.
David had been at ATS for 3 years and although it was no secret that there were interpersonal challenges between David and one of executives, David had embraced the company, it's objectives, the customers, and the other executives. David's commitment was unwavering despite some major hurdles; we knew that God wanted him in that job and position for a season, even when there were times we would have rather left (and had job offers). But, staying meant on many occasions David had to Grow, Change, and even eat some Humble Pie! He did it, over and over again, he did it. I was truly proud to watch how he handled the entire last year! Is he perfect? No. Was it sometimes his fault? Yes. But David showed maturity of character, Christ-Like forgiveness, patience, grace, and mercy. Even in his departure, he persevered to finish strong and leave with grace instead of on the attack. His care for the other executives and the employees remains strong. We made some friends at ATS that we hope last!
Thanks to our small group for praying for us thru the hard times, the difficult decision to leave, & the BUSY transition (David went back to work when Cooper was 4 days old).
Thanks to Carey for being an awesome mediating middle man! There were many times that you kept us afloat.
Thanks to Jeff, Lacy, Dave, Dave, John, Bryan, and others who have become friends; may our friendship LAST!
So, back to the new job: it's a challenge, it's invigorating, it has a healthy "steep hill" to climb, and it was a great move. How do I know you ask? Because I watch my husband, I know him, and I am Thrilled to see him exhilarated to go to work again. I haven't seen that in a while and even with the long hours and adjustment, I am happy for him!
Another thing, is that when you enjoy going to work and giving it everything you have every day, you can be with your family during family time and NOT be distracted.
David is a great dad, a great husband, and our family time has been very special lately.

Take your Child to Work Day

Until yesterday, we didn't know that today was Take Your Child to Work Day. It was a little late to pull the boys out of school and organize a day at work. Sybella is a bit young and has too short an attention span to spend the day at Dad's work [and she is with Mom at work every day :) ]
But, I decided that 10 minutes at work might be do-able. After running some errands, I took Sybella to David's office to see some of the people and to "play" with answering the phone.
I think that both her and David enjoyed it.

Beard

David didn't shave while we were on the Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic. He said something about limited running water, the water always being cold, and "not having to." But I can tell you that by the time we got home, he was MORE than ready to shave. He held off until Monday morning (and work) to shave. So, we got one last picture of all this facial hair. David and I will celebrate 12 years of marriage this year and I had never seen this much hair on his face before-- probably never again!! :)

Whirlwind tour for the holidays

Colorado, Arizona, and back again...

It was not my intention...as a matter of fact it is an unspoken rule not to travel after the 15th of December up through the New Year. 

But there I was heading to Fort Collins, Colorado to visit one of my mentors and his friends at Timberline. I had a wonderful time. When I arrived on Saturday morning it was in the 50's and sunny...by the time I woke up on Sunday morning it was in the teens, dropping, and 6 inches of 

snow had arrived. Now I know why they ski so much in Colorado. 

To make the trip a little crazy I left the Denver Airport (after being delayed 4 hours) around 12:30am and arrived in Arizona at 3am. I never really went to sleep because I had to be out on the golf course for a 10am tee time. The sun came up and my body was not to happy to never have enough darkness to really get quality sleep. 

I hit the ball around a beautiful course, Starr Pass, in Tucson, AZ. This is a new and incredible resort in Arizona that is 20 minutes from the airport. As part of my day to day responsibilities at ATS, I stayed the rest 

of the week to attend meetings at the Intelligence Warfighter Summit. 

Thursday morning caught the plane to Phoenix and started my journey home to DC. 

Raising Support!

As David posted in an earlier blog, we are officially heading to the Dominican Republic (DR) as part of the A1:8 Project (http://www.aoneeight.org/). In partnership with NCC and Salt & Light Ministries...David and I will be leading a team to the DR January 17-24, 2009! David and I have decided to take Colin with us on the trip as well. He is 10-years-old now and continues to learn the importance of living out his faith with action; we would like to broaden his perspective to the needs of people internationally who are often not blessed with the comforts of life in the United States.
We would like you to partner with us to make this mission trip possible.
Yes, we need your prayers but we also need your financial support. The cost of the trip is $1500 per person. Those costs break down as follows (approximately): 1/3 travel, 1/3 room, board, & transportation in the DR, and 1/3 directly to Projects and Needs in the DR.
I am sure that you can do the math. We need to raise $4500 to make this mission trip a reality. (see the bottom of this post for how to make a Tax-Deductible donation.)

Our mission in the DR will involve education, hygiene/health teaching, and sharing the love of Jesus. Part of our work will be in the community of El Valle. El Valle is a town in the mountains NE of Santo Domingo. We will be working with several missionaries at the "Center for Aid to Children". The goal of the center is to meet the spiritual and physical needs of children.
Many of the community children are 'orphaned' by the economics of the country. In the DR, schooling is expensive and not run by the government; many parents can not afford to send their kids to school. Parents often leave early in the morning and travel to a larger town to find work or food. They don't return until late at night. Their children would otherwise be roaming the streets, but the center takes them in and provides for them. The center provides these kids with a school, meals, medical aid, and a safe, supervised environment with hope in Jesus Christ. The center is currently serving 42 children. The Center for Aid to Children along with the community hospital (also run by these missionaries) has the desire and ability to win an entire community for Christ. We are blessed to unite with them to bring the love of Jesus to this area.

Donations:
Make checks payable to National Community Church. In the Memo line, please write "Simon-DR Trip." A Tax Receipt will be mailed out in January to all whose checks are received by Dec 27th.
Mail checks to:
3873 Chain Bridge Rd.
Fairfax, VA 22030

*If your employer provides for matching donations, the EIN number for NCC is 52-2016840, please make sure to notify us about the matching donation so that we can link it to the DR Trip.
**Any funds raised beyond the required $4500 will go directly to projects and needs in the DR.
We appreciate both your financial and prayer support!

Cornhole

David and I, along with our kids, love to play a game called Bongoball (aka Ladder Golf or Bolo Toss). So, when David had the chance at the Catalyst Conference to play Cornhole (a similar game) with some of the NCC staff, he jumped right in!


I just happened to have my camera and snapped a few shots.

New Plates!

I got new plates...and I'm not talking dishes! Yes, vanity plates for the car. I hate that term 'vanity' plate because there is nothing prideful or arrogant about this. They are not really that expensive and I think I drive nicer because of the reminder.

1 SAM 7:12

It was Sharon's idea to get plates...we had several ideas but this is what we both agreed on and decided to get. It is a constant reminder of how blessed we are and how we have gotten to where we are in life.

Thus far the Lord has helped us.

~David