First week of school and work...

Hi Everyone,

Checking in again. Recent activity includes getting Tommy settled into his new school, Dad's in his first week at work, kitchen countertops are being replaced at the house (a granite called delicatus) this and next week, and the standard running around like crazy getting settled and trying to get the baby fed inbetween errands.

First, Tam is doing great, albeit more crazier than the rest of us now. She's really mastered getting dinner cooked, laundry done, tracking homework progress, keeping the baby fed, dry, and comfortable, doing mountains of paperwork… and all while still stuffed inside temporary housing on the minimalist of materials and resources at her disposal. Of course, she'll tell you she's not really "mastered" it, but you should see her - pretty darn amazing.

Tommy is enjoying his first week at his new school. He's met a few kids that seem to fit him well - all good natured/stay out of trouble kids. There's a pretty good mix of guys and gals. Tommy's school is about 4,000 kids large (almost a factor of two larger than his last school). Additionally, the cultural diversity in this school is far richer than his last. So his world just grew by an order of magnitude larger - pretty neat. The coursework is settling nicely. Tommy found out that he's already a grade higher in math from the change in schools, so he's pretty proud of that. He also elected to tak e AP Chemistry and WOW, what a work load! Grandpa Mark will probably appreciate Tommy's initiative there, since chemistry was his major in college.

I just started my new job. So far it's mainly been hour after hour of training courses: ethics, workplace violence, dress code, envirnomental health and safety, office ergonomics, drugs and alcohol, labor charging (a.k.a. timecards), team efficiency, etc., etc., etc. I have managed to meet a few new people. One guy, Jaun, I just met and had coffee with this morning. Real friendly guy that used to work for my previous employer too, but we'd only worked in the same circles, never actually meeting. He might be a neat guy to keep in touch with. I also have a couple of interesting fellows to work with that are helping show me the ropes. Basically, I was hired for a specific job description, but while I was in transit, the job was given to someone else. Now working for a new company, for new people, and they want me to do entirely different work than I've ever done before. It's a pretty sharp learning curve in more ways than I can even appreciate right now, but it's probably a genuine opportunity. And yeah, I'm a little miffed about the bait-and-switch and not having been told until my second day on the job, but I think if I keep my chin up, I'll meet some fantastic people and (with some luck) find opportunities I didn't even know previously exsisted. We'll see.

And last, but far from least (except maybe in stature)… Tilden is doing quite well. He's started sharing a couple of smiles - not many just a few. It's such a treat watching those very first steps toward developing a personality!!! He's eating like a horse these days too. Those early chicken legs are all but gone. Rosey cheeks that just keep getting chubbier haven't yet gotten so big that you can't see the genuine curiosity in his eyes. Fortunately that neck of his has gotten quite strong and is more than capable of scanning to whatever takes his interest now. Legs - boy has that kid got a kick. Holding him for any amount of time and you'll quickly realize this kid's got an engine. He can stand for about 30 seconds on his own and will almost jump right out of your lap if you're not careful. All in all, really fantastic and fun progress.

Sorry I don't have any pictures to share... next time.

Cheers for now,
-ty