Big Week for Brian

Last week was a major one for the man of our house. And not just because he had a birthday!

Brian came to Singapore to lead the second phase of an SAP implementation for his client. Last week was the first big test of what he had been working towards for the past 2 1/2 years. Essentially they shut down the client's computer systems over the weekend and then spent the next 6 days upgrading it and testing the new system to make sure it would work as it should. The process required Brian's team to work 24-hour shifts so he worked some odd hours this past week. Some days he worked 3 - 11:30pm and others he worked 11pm - 7:30am. While it wreaked havoc on his sleep schedule, it was fun to have Brian around during the day when he would normally be at work. Emily and Elizabeth both enjoyed seeing him when they arrived home from school.

Everything went smoothly until Thursday night when Brian had to return to work at 11pm after just completing an all-day shift. In the end, the major problems were resolved and the new system made its grand entrance for 10,000 users on Friday as planned.

In the midst of the work craziness, Brian carved out time for us to properly celebrate his birthday. At my request, he devised his schedule so we could have dinner as a family and make it feel like a special day for him. After cranking out dozens of cupcakes a few days earlier, I happily switched gears to bake an Italian Creme Cake he requested for the occasion. Our family ate dinner on the river at Brussels Sprouts where the birthday boy enjoyed mussels, fries and Belgian beer before returning home for gifts and cake.

And on a side note, Brian received a bonus gift when the Texas A&M ladies' basketball team won the national championship on the morning of his birthday here. Whoop!

Brian's work is far from done as he is already working on the next piece of the project due in October. I know the past month has been stressful for Brian and he downplayed events at work so we could enjoy our trip to New Zealand and celebrate his birthday. I'm sure he will relish getting more sleep again and I intend to treat him to a nice adult dinner this weekend to conclude his birthday festivities.

Happy Birthday!