|
December 8, 2007
 A
small smattering of snow begins to collect on the ground while
Pacific NW temperatures conspire against it. The warmer temps win,
this time, as puddles give evidence to the epic battle of winter in
Seattle. We had some major flooding last week as rivers rose over
their banks in the outlying area due to the combination of snowmelt
and several days of incessant rain. The business park that houses
Hailey’s school was evacuated as the nearby stream began to overflow
into the parking lot making the national news. If you want snow
around here, you grab your skis and drive an hour east into the
mountains.
Still seeking that elusive IT Manager position, I began settling
into a fairly stable full-time routine with Digital Vision (my side
biz) doing small business network and server setup and e-commerce
website development with contracts that kept falling into my lap.
The job opportunities and interviews began ramping up in April and
May and after over a year of no job offers, I ended up fielding two
different offers in 1 week … it’s feast or famine in the
unemployment game! I accepted an IT Manager position with Applied
Technical Services (circuit board manufacturer) managing sites in
Everett (10 miles north of Seattle) and Hermosillo, Mexico with a
staff of 3 that support 380 users. I’ve been busy establishing
standards, wrapping process around everything we do, learning the
ERP system and business, cleaning up every aspect of their poorly
organized IT infrastructure and integrating new technology into the
environment. I just passed my 6 month mark there and things are
looking much better.
 We
spent Spring Break (early April) this year in Hawaii, staying a few
days at the Hilton Waikoloa Village in Kona, whose extravagant
swimming pool water was so c-c-cold, we couldn’t swim in it. Our
“water time” there was spent in their smaller, shallower pools where
the sun would warm the water up enough during the day to be
tolerable. Nora and Shannon swam with the dolphins at their Dolphin
Quest cove … “Their skin feels just like rubber, Dad!” We stayed in
a big condo the remainder of our time in Kona, our friend Debi
joined us, hitting several beaches and doing a snorkel trip to
Kealakekua Bay (where Captain Cook died in 1779). Shannon was
determined this time to figure out the snorkel breathing technique,
acclimated to it quickly and now shares our love of underwater
adventures.
Our home turned into a “bed and breakfast” this summer with my
mother and Denton visiting us for 10 days in July and our friends
Mark and Christy (and kids) staying with us a week in August. While
interviewing back in April, I spent a long weekend with them in
Michigan interviewing with Smiths Aerospace about an avionics
integration engineer position based in Seattle. Smiths Aerospace in
Grand Rapids used to be Lear Siegler, where I worked from 1980 to
1987 and who sent me out to Seattle in the first place to support
projects at Boeing in the early ‘80s. The “career gone full circle”
gig didn’t work out, but I did have a great time visiting with M&C
and my friends Janet and Deb while in town.
In between out-of-towner visits, we snuck in a few very fun group
camping trips with friends. We joined several other neighbors in
what looks to be an annual group camping weekend at Lake Wenatchee
State Park in July, all congregating at the group campsite there. We
filled the weekend with fishing, bicycling, beach lounging, hiking,
campfire singing, eating and, yes, the pre-requisite late-night
college drinking game. Julie, it turns out, is quite the party
ringleader! Over Labor Day in September, arriving a day late at
Bayside State Park in Anacortes, we joined 5 other families for a
group camping weekend that ended abruptly the following morning with
everyone tearing down their tents and packing up their SUVs in the
pouring rain. You’ve got to love the unpredictable Pacific Northwest
weather … sunny and mild one minute, stormy and raining the next.
I turned “the Big Five-0” in July emphasized with, yes, another
party! The gray beard staring back at me every day in the mirror is
emphasis enough. About 40 friends and neighbors helped us celebrate
the half-century milestone event and we went through our fair share
of beer, wine, Mikes and slipped in the occasional bounce with the
kids in the rented jumper.
 My
nephew Matt got married in St. Louis on September 15. It was a
unique affair complete with bobble-head replicas of Matt and Kristen
next to the guest book, some fairly out-of-control dancing at their
large reception and drink did flow until the wee hours of the
morning with attendees and participants filling the hotel bar up
after being kicked out of the reception ballroom. The next morning
was a bit on the blurry side! We took my parents to the St Louis Zoo
and the Gateway Arch while in town with my brother Bruce and wife
Cathy joining us on the last day there. The Gateway Arch “pods” (5
person enclosed tram cars) was a rickety, somewhat claustrophobic
experience but the view from the top was spectacular.
Shannon just turned 9 and is in 3rd grade this year. She continues
to excel in reading and writing and has authored several chapter
books now. Her writing is very creative and eloquent for a third
grader. Her soccer team went undefeated and she surprised us asking
if she could run cross-country this year. Her school did very well
in the meets and the third grade girls took the First Place ribbon!
Shannon is still in the Girl Scouts and her Brownie troop had many
adventures throughout the year including Fall encampment at Camp
River Ranch in Carnation, horseback riding in Mt. Vernon and
marching in the Bothell Fourth of July parade.
Hailey has grown out of her tantrum stage (not a moment too soon
from my perspective) and is now a potty trained 3½ year old girl. We
are still working on the thumb sucking issue and may have to resort
to Mavala to curb that habit. She has developed a funny little
personality saying some pretty off-the-wall things at choice times.
One day while Shannon was leaving to catch her ride to school,
Hailey yells out “Bye, Shannon … I’ll never forget you!” Hailey’s
long-term relationship with “Palmie” at her school cooled down quite
a bit when he was moved to a different room a few months back. I’m
sure if it’s meant to be, love will endure and they’ll meet up again
in college someday.
Nora continues her annual weekend getaway traditions to Lummi Island
with Lisa, Megan and crew and “Girls Weekend at Whistler” with Jodi
and friends. We have met many new friends from her monthly “Bunko
Night” neighborhood parties. Nora is also very involved in Shannon’s
social calendar with school events, Girl Scouts and accompanying her
to the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus concert and their annual “Disney
on Ice” event. I spent a weekend with Scott and the boys in
Vancouver going to see “Alice in Chains” and “Velvet Revolver” in
September. Hailey also had her first concert experience when we all
took her to see “The Wiggles” and later to the “Mannheim Steamroller
Christmas Concert” this year,
 Over Thanksgiving we were invited to join 7 other families on an NCL
“Free Style” Week Cruise down the western Mexican coast. These
families all were acquaintances through our friends Mary Jo and
Scott, several of who we’ve met before camping or at the frequent
parties that the Lasters host. The ship had a dozen different
restaurants, late night child care, pools, sports, kids events,
theatre, casino, a good magician, a not so good comedian and many
other types of entertainment. Reservations were made several nights
at formal restaurants for 33 (16 adults and 17 kids). “Free Style”
means basically you do whatever you want, whenever you want. While
the older kids ran amuck all over the ship and the younger kids were
involved in late night Kids Planet events, all the parents showed
their wild sides and indulged in late night gambling, lots of
drinking (especially MJ on her birthday) and other activities!
They’ll be talking about us for a long time at the Norwegian Star
Red Lion Pub … playing “quarters”, dancing on our chairs, throwing
popcorn around and getting out of hand. Ports of call were Acapulco,
Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa and Cabo San Lucas where we’d find a beach,
settle in and focus our day around tropical drinks, parasailing,
banana boat rides, jetskiing and boogie boarding … Hailey’s quite
the surfer! What a great time we had!!!
This year we’ll be spending Christmas Eve with Nora’s sister Holly,
Dan and catching up with Nora’s side of the family in Bremerton (an
hour ferry ride from Seattle). As always if your travels find you
near the Seattle area, you have an open invitation to stop in for a
visit, drink our beer, make a few long distances phone calls and
trash the place … just like when we visit you! Here’s hoping that
your days are filled with good friends, great adventures, group
camping events, free style cruises and the occasional drinking game
in 2008. Merry Christmas from all of us to all of you!
 Love …
P.S. – Our website has been updated with this year’s pictures and an updated
fridge gallery. Check it all out at
http://www.digital-vision.com/alan.
|
|
