Four Year Anniversary/Birthday!

Z's Fourth Birthday from deadbrave on Vimeo.

Halloween Video

Halloween 2012 from deadbrave on Vimeo.

Halloween 2012

It's that time of year!  Halloween!  It was a beautiful crisp autumn evening in the 40's with blue skies and fall colors all around.  We hit Vermont Avenue once again this year and came away with tons of great goodies.  It's awesome to be able to do Halloween the old fashioned way; in a neighborhood.  We got to trick or treat with our good friends Isabella, Alexander, Branden, Gabe and Juliana.  Z wanted to be Snow White this year so we got our princess on.  Expect a video shortly.

The Video Speaks For Itself

It's a little long but for Z fans, it's what you've been waiting for.



Zahra's One Girl Show from deadbrave on Vimeo.

This Happened in October!

This was another fun event in October.  Marissa and I planned a surprise party for Shannon's 29th birthday.  It was an amazing hit!  Shan was so surprised.  It was tough concealing it from her for so long.  I made sure to have Shan pretty clueless about the whole thing by downplaying her birthday (we did have a nice time on her birthday by going out to Sunny Point) and being the dumb guy when it came to day to day life (I know what you're thinking, doesn't he do that all the time?).  I think Shannon was ready to give me a good kick in the rear until we made that one fateful trip to Zach and Marissa's house.



Shannon's Surprise! from deadbrave on Vimeo.

Our Little Learner

Z zhas always shown a knack for wanting to read.  She loves to read for you (pretend style of course) and be read to.  Now she wants to learn how to do it for real.

Recently we've been working with her on learning her letters and sounds.  She is taking to it like a pro. Of course she has a long way to go but we are really happy with her progress right now.  See for yourself!

large from deadbrave on Vimeo.

Memories

Just sat down with the family and went through some of the old blog posts.  Wow!  I can't believe so much has happened in so little time.  I know people like to say it all goes by so fast, but I never feel that way.  It feels like so many of the things we saw from 2009 happened yesterday.  They also feel like they happened a long time ago.

As for the present, we are all holed up in our little shoebox of a home.  It's starting to get really cold outside and it looks like Fall is really going to start to get going.  The leaves are at their peak and about half of them are on the ground with their brothers close to joining them.  We now have to sit and wait at least 45 days until our construction loan is approved and Shan is going nuts waiting for that.  We may have a house in June 2013 at this point if all goes well, which isn't bad considering our lease is up then and I'll have time off with the school year concluding to actually move things.

Here is the latest round of photos from our recent trip to Grammy Lanie's house in Georgia.

Pictures from the Fair

Here are more pictures, this time from our WNC Fair visit.

September Fun

Check out Z at Braden's birthday in the park, Preschool fun with Ms. Paula, riding the roller coaster and shucking corn.

September Fun from deadbrave on Vimeo.

Finally...We're Settled for Now

Well, it's been a crazy three weeks since I last posted.  We've moved into the rental in West Asheville and we finally feel like we've gotten ourselves settled in.  We have also finally sold our home on Fairfax!  If all goes well, Monday will be the official last time we can call Fairfax Avenue home.  Work has been nuts for me and Z was recently sick with fever so as I sit, exhausted, in my living room (temporary living room) I can let out one huge sigh of relief.

A lot of good stuff has happened in September.  We took Z to the fair and had a great time.  We've had some friends over to watch football and hang out.  We've met new neighbors.  We're also gearing up for October and all it has to offer.  Shannon's birthday is coming up and we have some major stuff in store for that.  Halloween is right around the corner which will signal the upcoming holiday season and the dark times as Daylight Savings time returns.  The weather has been phenomenal as we are experiencing the best WNC has to offer.  Crisp mornings and sunny, dry days with clear skies.  Things continue to look up for us and we couldn't be any happier.

Of course now comes the time where Shan and I have to make sure we stay close and tight.  10,000 decisions can go into the construction of a new home.  With that comes major stress.  We've already endured the stress of moving and selling a home.  Now we'll see what we're really made of.

Labor Weekend

We have just finished a whirlwind weekend that has us in a new home!  With our house about to be officially sold in about ten days, we have moved on and moved into a rental house for the next eight months or so.  We hope to live here until the construction of the new place.  In the meantime, we will be rocking out in a chill little pad not too far from our old home.

We began Friday and have just now finally stopped.  It was quite the feat getting rid of stuff at the moving sale Saturday then having the major move on Sunday (with lots of help from our great friends) to just ironing out the details today.  We have basically moved everything out of the house in three days.  Shannon and I are both beat.  Z is still full of energy and enjoying her new little home as she calls it.  After we settle in some more, I will try and post some actual photos and video.  For now, it's sleepy time.

Z napping at Preschool

Can you believe this kid takes naps at preschool?

First Week of School is in the Books

Zahra and I started school this week!  What a fun adventure it's been.  Z is loving her new classroom.  She is with Ms. Paula at the Asheville Preschool.  Paula and I go way back to when I first started teaching at Hall Fletcher.  She is an amazing teacher and Z loves her so much.  She is learning quite a lot.  In fact, in three days she always seems to come back with new information like a song or some kind of story.  I, on the other hand, am exhausted but happy with my new group.  It should be an interesting next two years.  I am starting in fourth grade and moving to fifth with this bunch.

Here are some pictures of the first day.  Z getting ready to go to school.  Z at her school.  And then of course, Z returning from school with Daddy in her new bike trailer.  She loves it!

Summer's Almost Gone

Yup, summer time as we know it around here is almost done.  The weather will still be a bit muggy and   hot but once school starts, we are officially done with the summer time.  And this summer finale will be extra special because it's not just dad who has to go back to school!  Z will begin her first class at the Asheville Preschool on August 15th!  Can't believe our little Z is already school age!  And how excited is she?  Every day she asks about school.  We'll definitely have some video and posts on that epic day.

As for the rest of summer since we last posted, we've had a ball.  Pool time, Bele Chere, hikes in the woods, visits with friends and family.  It's been a busy July.  Z has even begun walking Che!  She likes to take him for walks now and holds the leash like a champ.  Z, Momma and I partied hard at Bele Chere this year (though I was a good boy and was home early Friday and Saturday nights so mom could go out and party).

Now we gear up for even more epic news as we are in the process of selling the house and building a new one.  We put the house on the market about three weeks ago and we already are under contract.  If all goes well, we'll have the house sold (for a tidy profit I might add) and we will move into a rental.  While at the rental, we hope to move forward with Shannon's custom designed home.  If everything breaks for us, we should be celebrating the new pad in Spring of 2013.

Aside from a few health issues (mommy had a little cyst removed that has caused her great discomfort), the family is poised to have a strong rest of 2012.  I embark on my academic challenge of transitioning to fourth grade and looping with my class for the next few years, Z will be heading to school and mommy will be (hopefully) beginning a new job at the city that will validate all of the hard work she put into her graduate classes.  And heck, football season is almost here!  I guess summer leaving isn't so bad.

July Dog Days

It's been a nice stretch of fun time here for our family.  Well, aside from the stress of the upcoming sale of the home, the prospects of trying to build a home from scratch and figuring out where we'd be living while waiting for our new home.  But these are good problems to have.

But the important new news is that Z is officially a student at the Asheville Preschool!  Our little girl is going to be hitting school in a month.  She is so ready for it as well.  Every time we drive by the preschool, she asks incessantly to get into the building.  Hopefully she'll retain that enthusiasm as the year progresses.

Here are some more pictures of things I've neglected to post.

The Week in Review

Saturday.  We've had quite the week of activity in the Seijezzali household.    

Sunday we hit the Big Crafty and enjoyed downtown Asheville.  On Monday we went to the Robert Lake Park in Montreat, a gorgeous park with a creek running through it that the kids can play in.  Tuesday we visited with our friend AP and his family and enjoyed the compound they recently purchased.  We spent a lot of time in the pool!  We also enjoyed some time with friends like Braden and Liam and Maggie and Juliana and Gabe.  We even came to work with Dad and played with some new friends and even watched Lion King 1 1/2 (not too bad).  We finished off the week at the latest hip place to hang n Asheville, the New Belgium party near the French Broad River complete with food trucks, live music and of course, beer.  Shannon had completed a successful day at the city retreat with all of the big wigs and was in a fantastic mood.  She is rubbing elbows with the people that should be offering her a job soon.  I'm just enjoying the summer like a teacher should.  I even went out to a show Thursday night featuring Blowfly, a Miami artist from the past who inspired a generation of artists like Two Live Crew to be as nasty as they want to be.

Now we gear up for some babysitting and for chores.  But I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that we are trying to sell our home and upgrade to a new place.  It's been consuming our lives (mostly Shannon's) for the past six months.  We have it on the market and now we must wait for someone to buy it.  So goes the summer of 2012.

Maggie and Z near the French Broad River at the New Belgium party.

Summer in Asheville

Well, now that I've caught up with June, it's time to get back to some kind of reporting for July.

We've been back in town now for almost two weeks but it feels like a lot more.  Since we've been back, we've been working on getting our home ready for sale.  We plan on building a new home right behind our current one on a piece of land we purchased not too long ago.  While that is going on, Shan is continuing to work.  That leaves Z and I for most of the day.  We've been hanging hard.  I've tried to put together a huge itinerary of activities to keep us busy and having fun.  We've gone bowling, hiking in botanical gardens, strolling the WNC Nature Center, and been on several play dates.  It's been real fun hanging out with the little one.  She is really such a great kid.

The biggest hurdle we need to get over right now is cleaning up after potty time.  She's been really good about wanting to be just like the big girls so that's been the angle to this point.  We also have to bring back the swimming so hopefully we can get some great pool time in the next few weeks.  We are right in the middle of the summer break and the finish line that leads to work is still off in the distance somewhere.  I'll just keep enjoying the family as much as possible until then.

Summer 2012

May was a rough month. We crawled through the long month slowly but with a purpose.  Z finished her tour with Gloria, Shan graduated and I finished a great school year.  We spent most of the month plotting our summer 2012 plans.  I neglected the blog for the entire month!  So I'll pick up with the summer.

It's been an amazing summer of travel so far.  As soon as school let out on June 5th, we were on the move.  We spent 3 weeks traveling up and down the east coast visiting all of our family and friends.  We began in Connecticut, then made our way to NYC followed by an extensive visit to South Florida and concluding in a brief stint in Atlanta.  When we arrived back to Asheville, we needed a few days to recover.  It was a wonderful time for all of us but most importantly, it was a time for our family to be together with the rest of our families.
Summer 2012 Trip from deadbrave on Vimeo.

April- The Month in Review

April was quite the month.  Here is a retrospective on how things went with Z...

I Love You So Much

Spring Break continues

Refreshed! I am feeling at peace and it is in no small part because of the time spent with my family. Wow I'd been a zombie the last few weeks (some would say months). But a little time with Z and Shan goes a long way.

Z and I spent a lot of time together today walking downtown while Shan interviewed with her internship on some ideas for work. We ate lunch together. We read books out in the yard. Then we took a day trip to Lake Powotan with Tania, Isabella and Alexander. We topped it off with some more outside time and a movie as Shan took off for work.

It's been great spending this much time with Z. I can't say it enough. And I can't do it enough which is why we will continue all week!

Embarrassing...

Well, I can't believe I actually skipped over a month here on the blog. Lazy? Busy? All are bad excuses. And March is my favorite month to boot!

Z, Shan and I are doing well. We've had six weeks of above average temperatures here in Asheville. Global warming? In any event, we get to enjoy the great outdoors a little earlier around here. The longer days have led to the resurgence of the after dinner walks. The garden is exploding. Flowers are in full bloom. And we are all a little more excited.

Z continues to rock out the ballet classes. This week, I'd like to go back to what we used to do- hang out. I am on spring break so I should be able to update all week. We'll call it a flash back to the days when I documented every single moment in time.

We'll start with a few pictures and video of the day. We have spent the weekend catching up with old friends. The Graddy family popped in Saturday and we enjoyed a lovely dinner with the five of them. Today we hung out with the Blacklows and Marvin and B. Good times at the Botanical Gardens. Then we hung up some Easter eggs on a tree to get into the spirit of egg hunting. It was a nice way to recover after a long week in DC with my fifth grade class. I also got my hair cut! It's been two long years of growing. Now it's back to the short look in anticipation of a warm spring and warmer summer. Let the good times roll!

Catching up with the Seijezalis

So much to catch up on!

The biggest news for us is the attempts to buy land that would lead to a new house. As of today, no news is neutral news. We are in a bit of a bind with what we want to do. The biggest domino to fall would be the sale of our current house which is not yet on the market. Once that happens, things will get rolling.

In the meantime, it's been business as usual at home. We had a nice Valentine's Day. Shan and I went on a mini date which included a stroll through the neighborhood and a walk through a home that a potential builder of our possible future home renovated. Z made a gorgeous card for her mother (with a little help from dad). Ballet continues to be the fun thing its been since we began in January. Z loves it! She continues to grow and learn more stuff every day.

Right now we are just bracing for a possible snow event. It's been a really warm winter so this is some exciting stuff. We've seen temps so warm we have visited the park to ride our bikes but a few days where we actually saw some powder on the ground as well. We've managed to stay warm inside with yoga and our buddy Braden. More to come!

Ballet: The Movie

Random Shots

More catching up. Here are some shots from the backyard and of the doll house Grandpa Larry built. In case I forgot to mention this, Grandpa Larry spent weeks assembling this incredible doll house from thousands of individual wooden pieces. It should last several lifetimes and maybe one day Granny Zahra will pass it on to her little grandchild.