Goldfish

I never thought that goldfish would be such an important part of my law practice. When I refer to goldfish, I am not talking about the actual fish, but rather the tasty little cracker. I often take my daughters to my office. Mrs. Barbara (who is the office assistant for my landlord) always has a supply of goldfish, which are especially for kids. My girls have certainly caught on to the plan. On one of our last visits, Grace asked for a snack and I told her we had none. She responded "you have goldfish, you always have goldfish at your office." Her younger sister even gets into the game, for every time she comes to my office she stands in the lobby and cries "I wan cacker." [sic] Thank goodness for goldfish. I could not practice law without them.

Grace Should Write Greeting Cards

I have some new artwork in my office (see below). It was Grace's "work" one day when she was spending some time with me. The picture depicts Grace and me. There are also two stickers on the paper: a heart and a smiley face. Grace actually had a specific reason for these two stickers and I quote:

"I put the heart on because I love you and the smiley face because I smile every time I see you."

Working With Daddy

Kate's Charity Work

If an 18 month old ever needs a resume, then Kate is well ahead of the game on building her own curriculum vitae. I am so lucky to be able to spend a lot of my time with my girls. Often this leads to some childcare issues and I have to depend on the kindness of others to put up with my kids. I serve on the board of Neighborhood Housing Services, which is an incredible charity providing housing counseling and foreclosure assistance to those in the Birmingham area. This month I had to bring Kate to our monthly board meeting. NHSB is amazingly kid-friendly --- or at least no one seems to mind the antics of my children.

She behaved very well (primarily because I let her share my Chick-fil-a lunch). The highlight of the meeting was when she walked across the room and began to help herself to some chocolate in a candy bowl. I did not know her eyesight was so well developed! Believe it or not we were actually able to conduct some good business at our meeting.

Kate Goes to a Client's Office

I met with a client to discuss a lease agreement. We decided to meet at the client's office. Kate was out of school and I had the pleasure of spending my day with her. I decided to take a risk and take her to the client's business. My hunch proved correct and the place of business was most kid friendly and in fact my client had her two young daughters with her. Kate had a great time and I was actually able to do some good work.

Kate and her new friend.

Casual Day

One of the benefits of having my own practice is that I set the dress Code for the office. On days like today (when I have no client meetings or court appointments) I generally dress casually (golf shirt, shorts and sneakers with no socks). There is always the risk that a client may drop-by. I had such a drop-by today and had to endure some good natured kidding about my dress code. Fortunately, my client did not mind my casual dress and in fact I believe he was a little jealous.

Amazing Vacation

The entire family (along with my in-laws and my sister-in-law and her family) had an amazing vacation in May at Club Med in Florida. I was able to work just a little, but I actually enjoyed the rest and relaxation so much that I did not work near as much as I had planned (probably a good thing).

A great sunset

Sarah on the archery range. She was actually very good.

Nana and the girls

My brother-in-law and I participated in a sailboat regatta. We finished dead last in the first heat, but I am most proud of our second place overall finish. I must admit that I did not know a thing about sailing prior to this event and I only served as an ornament decorating the deck of the boat.