Sunday

My last week of work is next Tuesday. I am hoping that my posts will pick up during the summer. Time will tell I guess..

Since Tony's death, our family has grown. Sure, it was a little forced upon us but the result has been a positive one. Let me explain. In Tony's will, he assigned one executor and three trustees to his estate. Usually the executor is a family member and should have been George. But because of George and Tony's rocky background, Tony decided to assign someone else. It has actually been a blessing not to have to be in charge of all this.

In the will he left the store and Mercedes to George. Everything else is to go to the kids and their education. By the time the little ones are college bound, the fund should more than cover their expenses. It really is a huge blessing and relief to have this taken care of.

The executor and the trustees were all friends of Tony and have known George since he came to the U.S as a teenager. Because of their involvement with Tony and now us, they want to be involved in our lives. Kahlil is the executor and he and his wife are from Iran. Nick is an American married to a Bulgarian who was very close to George's mother. Daniel is from Lebanon and was Tony's business partner when he started the store twenty tears ago. Victor is a doctor from Lebanon and had known Tony for many years.

Khalil has made millions in many investments and is well off to say the least. He's a quiet, humble man with all of our best interest in mind. His wife Minoo is a sweet, soft spoken woman. They invited all of us to their house in the country for the day today. I, of course, was tentative. Not having grown up around money, I get nervous in the presence of wealth. Especially with my small children, in a half million dollar home....

We showed up around 12:30. The house really is in the country. I'm sure there is not another house for miles. It's probably three times the size of ours. I coached the kids on good behavior before we walked in. It's been a rainy day and I knew there was not a chance the kids could play outside. I sighed in relief when I saw that all the floors were either hardwood or tile, always a good sign with my kids. I cringed when I saw that all the couches were white. Samuel returned from a trip to the bathroom in awe. "Mom, you have to see it. It's awesome." Maybe my kids need to get our more.

All in all we had a great afternoon. I was grateful that we ate buffet style and we all didn't have to sit for a long period of time at the table. The upstairs was a huge unfurnished space with tons of space to run and nothing they could get in to. George and I were able to visit, eat amazing Middle Eastern food and drink great wine. Middle Eastern people remind me of the Spaniards. They indulged my children with plenty of kisses, hugs and pinched cheeks. They let them eat as many cookies as possible and gave them coke. I sat back and let them. It's funny how when you expect the worst, the worst doesn't always happen. I expected to be chasing my kids making sure they weren't touching anything breakable. I didn't have to do that. I expected to be uncomfortable and out of place. I certainly didn't feel this. I'm excited about adding these people who obviously love my family into our lives.

I wish I had my camera today but didn't. Here are some pictures from the last few weeks.