I drive past this goat every morning on the way to work. Today, I decided to stop and take a picture of him. He is a very friendly fellow and came over to see if I had any food for him. 

This evening was Maya’s family night and she chose ribs for dinner which included friends Gabe, Alex and Dave. Christmas cards remain posted on the magnetic wall. 

The girls were goofing around this afternoon. Earlier, Jeanine and I worked out at the Beade Center which always puts her in a good mood. 

Best friends filled with silly juice spent more evening laughing. 

Kyle spent the entire day training to become a soccer referee. After the course we went out for Cheesy Bites Pizza having been seduced by the television advertising. In addition to our crew we also had Gabe, Sarinaugh, and Tom in tow. Nico was kind enough to get a photo of Kyle and I in matching hats. 

On an impulse, I call Jeanine to see if she can join me in Paris for the weekend. Unfortuantely, while I have been working and playing in Europe she has been holding down the fort (and the Indians were not behaving well). Maya had the flu and missed four days of school and the boys did little to help the situation. Without immediate family in the area it was not going to be possible but we resign ourselves to a future getaway. 

By night, everything takes on a different appearance. 

We have meals and our party in the chateau while we conduct business in the adjacent, ultra-modern conference facility. This is France so the food is exquisite at every turn. 

Today, I am in Chantilly, France where we are meeting with our Southern European team. We are staying at Le Fountaines, a conference center built around an ancient castle/chateau that has been immaculately restored and maintained. 

Here we find a what appears to be a very intimate little chapel. 

The first half of the course was entirely up hill and I was quite thankful when it came time to head back down. 

The first half of the course was entirely up hill and I was quite thankful when it came time to head back down. 

A nice little mountain lodge nestled at the foot of the German Alps. 

A nice little mountain lodge nestled at the foot of the German Alps. 

The day starts at 8:30AM with a 10 mile mountain bike trek. I fell behind the main group by stopping to take photos. Fortunately, the trail circled back and I was able to finish with the team. 

Small tables were set up everywhere. When you finished a particular course you would simply find a chef and make a request. He would either prepare it for you while you watched or you could do it yourself under his supervision. With your next morsel in hand you could move on to a different table and mingle with someone new. It was one of the most memorable meals of my life. Dinner was followed by dancing which was going strong at 3AM when I called it a night. 

Dinner was a phenomenal event. The hotel closed its restaurant and opened its kitchen. All overhead lights were turned off and illumination was by candlelight (literally hundreds spread throughout the kitchen) with live harp and guitar music in the background. 

Our Snickers team placed third in a field of ten teams. After the competition, we enjoy beer and pretzels. 

Here, Enja introduces us to our cow. Participants are given 1 minute to milk the cow and after the entire team has had a turn, the total amount of milk is measured. Other events included a 2-person sawing event in which partners use a push-pull timber saw to slice five sections of a 10 inch log, a bear mug sliding contest similar to shuffle board, and an event requiring the team to figure out how to lift 60 large plastic milk crates off the ground for at least 3 seconds. 

In the late afternoon, we took a break for an Alpine Olympic team building event. Participants selected their favorite candy bar from a giant jar. Later we formed teams based on our selection. I was a member of the Snickers team. In this event, each participant is allowed to strike the nail exactly once and then must pass the hammer to the next member of their team. The object is to drive in as many nails as possible in 4 minutes. 

This morning I traveled to Rottach-Egern, in southern Bavaria (1 hour outside of Munich), for a Sales Kick-Off Meeting for our German and Nordic offices. We are staying at the five star Seehotel Uberfahrt Tegernsee with this idylic view of the Alps.

This afternoon, Nicolai participated in a jam session at the Concord Public Library. Kids from the area are invited to bring their instruments and hang out. Nicolai borrowed my Jembe and was in fine form. He has far surpassed my ability to play this drum. I will be in Europe for the next week and unless I find a good internet connection will probably not post again until next weekend. 

Kyle’s basketball season came to a close this morning with a win to place third in the Gold Division (best of five divisions)tournament. Here Kyle drives hard to the hoop. He had four points and a pivotal rebound with seconds remaining that helped the team to preserve its one point victory. 

Today we met Dennis. He is a brave little 12-year old from Honduras who speaks no English. He is in the US for medical treatment having recently lost his left leg to a lawn mower accident. I was so proud of the way Nicolai reached out to and connected with Dennis. Despite the language barrier, we all spoke the universal dialect of soccer. Before long we had organized goals in the living room and had a lively match going. Nicolai took great pleasure in presenting Dennis with 8 brand new right-footed shoes which look to be a perfect fit. We also played some home movies of Nicolai playing soccer and I could see in his eyes that Dennis was looking forward to new possibilities. Today, two 12-year old boys from different cultures shared more than a pair of shoes. 

She shoots, she scores!! Maya made a nice basket during a scrimmage game at practice today. 

Here he is on approach for his first ever front one and a half off the high board. 

Nicolai rips an entry during diving practice this morning. 

This evening Jeanine is up in New Hampshire on a retreat with her mentoring group. The boys are at the high school basketball game, and I have Maya all to myself. We attended Family Math Night at Willard School, where Maya enjoyed many activities, including pyramid construction with her friend Lydia. 

Maya is fond of sitting on top of the heating system vents to warm up in the morning.