It's been a while.....

I've been INSANELY busy...too busy to post much. That does not mean, however, that nothing has been happening. Hopefully, I'll have more of a chance the week of Thanksgiving to catch up a bit. (I took the whole week off.)

Let's see if I can give a quick update:

Dean. Well, if you haven't heard, Dean is looking for a new job. Yep, we are now officially affected by the recession. Dean's group at work had a 10% reduction in force, and he was one of the unlucky ones. The exit package was more than generous, and we're ok for a while. We're confident that he'll be able to find something...even if it has to be part time for a while.

Luckily, he's been around the house to help with house things and the kids while I've been traveling.

Wendy. I've been traveling a lot...which is always good, right! I've also had a class this term at the University of Utah. I'm waiting to see if I'm officially admitted to the PhD program in Political Science, but so far....still waiting on an accept or reject letter. I've also been engaged in some volunteer efforts with my alma mater. There is a lot going on.

Bradley. Bradley had surgery on his left shoulder at the beginning of October. He had an accident a year earlier during baseball practice, and his shoulder has never been the same. After three dislocations this summer, he finally had an operation to correct the problem. I'll scan in the surgery photos one of these days. It's quite miraculous what you can do orthoscopically these days. Bradley is a SENIOR and working toward graduation. So far, so good (barely)...but so good. He's also taken to dying his hair at home...which is freaking annoying....and also makes him look a bit freaky. His red hair is one of his distinguishing characteristics. Someday he'll appreciate it again...hopefully sooner rather than later.

Mariah. She is on the go, non-stop. She seems to be enjoying her sophomore year. She also has an after school job so that she can afford all of those extras that she wants. She's a good student and has ambitions to go into nursing. Riah has a renewed interest in exercise and eating well, and she's all but given up her favorite restaurant: McDonalds. Seriously, I tempted her the other night, and she ordered bottled water! Total determination and self control! Did I mention that she's always on the go? She enjoys spending time with her friends, going to movies, going shopping....and pretty much just going.

Elle. She's our sports girl these days. Elle continues to excel at Tae-kwon-do. She received her black belt back in September. (I'm lame and haven't gotten the pictures up yet.) She also just finished her season with her softball team, KOSS (sounds like chaos). She has been playing catcher. You'll not find a better follower of instructions than Elle and one who really wants to learn. She's becoming quite proficient at the Clarinet and absolutely LOVES Jazz band. She's growing up....

Dominique. Dom is our last one in elementary (where did the time go???). This girl loves to talk....her teacher has told me so....and I've witnessed it myself. She's a popular chick; her friends are always calling and wanting to talk, have sleepovers, hang out, go out....blah, blah, blah...you'd think she was a teenager. Dom is SO EXCITED...she recently got her very own cell phone. Let's hope she understands the privilege and doesn't get hers taken away. Domi plays violin in the advanced class, and she's quite good. She's a bit shy about playing, though. She wants to be in Jr. High so badly and acts like a teenager already. Lord, help us.

That's the 411 on what's been going on with us.

We plan to celebrate the holidays close to home....for many reasons.....not the least of which is the unemployment situation...

More postings to come as soon as I get a spare few minutes!