FINALLY time you heard from MDM

Don't faint from shock!  To say that you haven't heard from us would be a gross understatement.  Mike and I have been keeping a pretty low profile, working our way through some financial problems due to his not being able to find a permanent job.  We finally had to file bankruptcy this past January.  It was a hard thing for us to do, but it was either that, or run the risk of losing everything.  Now, we are back to square one, but it's a relief to have that burden off our shoulders.  We are learning how to budget money and how to save it.  Of course, at the moment, there isn't much to save, but we know this too shall pass.

For the past several months, Mike has been working for a some home developers placing signs along the road to direct people to the open houses.  He has several routes and spends Friday nights putting the signs up, and, because of county/city/state regulations, has to take them all back down Sunday nights.  Currently placing for 5 developments totaling 263 signs.  It takes him about 7 hours Friday night and 6 hours Sunday night including post pick-up report.  Not glamorous and definitely hard work ran or shine (does it shine at night?) but after fuel expense netting better than $16 an hour.  (Paid per sign @$1 per, was almost $17 an hour but with the price of gas escalating…)

Over the Christmas holidays, Michael got a job driving for UPS.  He really liked it, but, they do not hire drivers from outside the company (Unions rules I guess), so he would have to start as a part time package handler.  It's kind of on the back burner.  Every time we think he's going to go in that direction, something happens and it seems like he's getting steered in the food business.  Last week, he got a job running a espresso/deli café in an office building.  It will only be for a couple months, since the owners are trying to sell it and are in negotiations.  Here's the funny part- the building the deli is in is one of the office buildings my company leases space in over by Vancouver Mall.  I used to spend 1 day a week in that building when I still worked in Vancouver, so I know a lot of the people there.  He is really having fun I think, but I'll have to let him tell you about that.

As for me, I'm still driving to Portland every day for work, which wouldn't be so bad except for the gas prices.  But I don't like not having my car and even though the commute takes me longer, it would be twice as long if used public transportation.  I would still have to drive to a park & ride in Portland, which is about half way to my office anyway.  As it is, I don't get home in the evenings until about 6.  Fortunately, I have a husband who is a wonderful cook and has dinner started when I get home.  I usually just have to make the salad. 

I'm hoping I can find something back in Vancouver, especially since, in the next 1-2 years, my position is technically going away.  Problem is, I just don't know what else I would want to do.  On the up side, I'm eligible for full retirement in November, so if I get really unhappy where I'm at, I can always leave.  A couple months ago, I started getting sick and went to the doctor thinking I had a cold and was told it was allergies - the building I work in has caused my dust allergy to start acting up and I'm back on my allergy medication after almost 5 years off them.

BUT, we are healthy (for the most part) and have each other and all of you.  We love hearing how all of
your are doing and all the wonderful things that are happening in your lives.

Love, Mike & Debi

What's happening with Uncle Esque and Aunt Kathie...

Hello and early good morning, family!

Our garden has been gorgeous this year with lots of roses, camellias, lavendar, lilacs, and now gardenias in full bloom.  We are now waiting for our tomato plants to begin producing.

Uncle Esque and I have been keeping a low profile...that's what we call it anyway.  We pretty much keep to ourselves and try to stay healthy.

Our Circuit Weight Training class at Sacramento City College ended a bit early for us both.  A couple of weeks ago, Esque was running a low-grade fever.  He was a bit grumpy--not his usual sunny self.  And, he kept complaining of aches and pains in his joints.  Turns out it was due to some strange type of infection.  Fortunately, antibiotics knocked it out of his system.  We are meeting with his doctor in early June to get more information.  And, we were assured, it's nothing serious.

Esque used to walk 3+ miles each day with Vince Matranga and Richard Silva--they grew up together--with Tom Frost (Esque's older brother)--all living on or near Second Avenue.  Their favorite path would circle William Land Park.  Well, Vince passed away a couple of years ago.  Richard has been quite ill due to diabetes and can barely make it from the car to McDonald's for coffee.  We keep planning to resume our walks together in the evening...maybe this weekend will find us out walking our neighborhood.  :-) 

Me...I've just taken another step up the career ladder.  Yesterday (5/18/07) was my first day as a Staff Services Manager I in the Counselor Complaints/Compliance Unit within the Licensing and Certification Division.  Same department (Alcohol and Drug Programs) and same floor--just moved over to the window seats.  :-)  Esque and I are quite pleased that my 30 years in State Government have finally paid off.  The next year on probation will be interesting and challenging.

We sincerely hope and pray that everyone is healthy and happy.  We wish you all the best.  Much love, too.

Aunt Kathie & Uncle Esque

News about the Reed kids

News about the Reed kids:

 

Chelsie (24) is a wonderful Mom. Chelsie's little Quinny is almost 3 years old.  Quinny is so excited for her birthday party.  That is all she talks about.  She is so darling.  Chelsie is a licensed Hair Dresser.  She only works on the weekends and on Monday.   Ryan, her husband, watches Quinny while she works on the weekends and then on Mondays Sarah comes out and watches her little Niece while Chelsie works. 

 

Chad (23) recently moved to Hawaii to live with his Dad and to work.  He was working Construction the first three weeks he was there and then got a job working for the Four Seasons Hotel.  Apparently it is a absolutely

beautiful hotel.  He is a manager of the Pool area.  He loves his job and absolutely loves Hawaii.

 

Taylor (22) is working part-time and going to school full time.  He just recently had his second shoulder surgery to correct damage to his shoulder from an accident 7 years ago.  He did really great and the doctors think he will have a great recovery.  Taylor is living at his Grandpa's right now, as Grandpa has cancer and is going down-hill really fast.  Taylor is such a great help to him.

 

Sarah (18) is working full time and will returned to school in June.  She wants to get her degree in Business.  She is a very hard worker, very trustworthy and loving.  The people at her work just love her.  She loves watching Quinny and spending time with her big sister each week.

 

Sami (14 on May 28th) is a straight A student.  Reports cards just came out and she is straight A's for the second time this year.  She plays the piano, sings.  Her school just recently did a 50's  play and Samantha sang in a trio.  What a great voice she has.  She is a wonderful artist.  Extremely dependable.  She wants to go to Julliard in New York City, and if not Julliard than a performing school in New York when she is done with High School.  She wants to see as much of the world as she can.  She is very ambitions.  She love the play "Wicked"  and someday wants to meet Idina Menzel who played Elphaba in the play.

Do As I Say, Not.........oh, ok, I will do it, too

The trouble with sending out a reminder asking everyone to write to
the family blog, is that now, of course, I need to also.

Today is E minus 7. In seven short, short days Andrew turns 18.
Will he fly or crash and burn? He and I are working away at his
Eagle. His project is completed - he collected and delivered probably
around 1500 books, plus stuffed animals, games and toys to Books for the Barrios
for schools in the Philippines. Now, the write up! groan. The
application to fill out. Letters of recommendation to collect. His
Eagle book to put together. Get all this approved by the vigilant
District Advancement Chair AND have a Board of Review before midnight
of his 18th birthday. We are so close, and yet ...... I sure know
why they give the mothers those little pins.

In other news, we adopted a couple of cocktiels from a dog park friend
who rescued them from a cruelly negligent neighbor. "I was hoping
they would die." Recently Mr Cotton had us quite concerned as he
huddled in the bottom of the cage and seemed out of sorts. Until we
saw an egg in the bottom of the cage! So far Mr Cotton, or should we
say, Mrs Rosie Cotton, has laid 5 eggs now. We do not THINK they are
viable (and WHAT would we do if they are???). Some experts say to let
th hen keep her eggs for a while to satisfy her little mother heart.
Also, if you take them all away, she might just keep laying.

Joseph and I are facing finals in our respective classes Thursday.
ahh, the joy. So far, we each have strong A's, so no terror. I am
amazed at being able to carry an A and STILL not understand, much less
like, Accounting (basic beginning class). The teacher is helpful and
a bit lenient, but still..

Don't you think you can write something AT LEAST as interesting as this?! I bet you can!

Hoping to hear from you!

love, Barbara

Robin returns

I just returned from a fantastic vacation to Europe !!!.......I spent three weeks touring northern Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Jet lag still has it's hold on me......the body wants to wake up at 3-4 AM !!!! I met my girlfriend, Rosann, from Iowa, and we shared all meals and all our tours then retired each evening to our own rooms........the flowers were all in bloom and the Alps were awesome........I could go on and on.

Jeff was busy at home taking care of the kids.......and doing his furniture and playing with his toys......he doesn't want to travel !!!!

We are doing our first car show with the 1938 Chevy hotrod next weekend.....it is Rhody Days in Florence.......a Show & Shine, BBQ, Car cruise through Florence on Saturday and the big parade on Sunday. This summer will be busy going to many shows within 100 miles or so from us.

We are both feeling well and are enjoying life.
Robin Malavasic, Florence, Oregon

We Had Cheesecake…

…and ate it too!

Teresa and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary this weekend. One whole year—has it been that long already?

Those of you who were able to make it to our reception know that we had cheesecake (made by Cindy, one of Teresa's bridesmaids) for our wedding cake. The cheesecake survived the year in excellent condition…and we’re not doing too bad ourselves.

After we got married, Teresa and I lived in a little appartment in Rancho Cordova. The living room there never recovered from its status as a storage area, but we enjoyed a large bedroom and a decent kitchen while we were there. We spent a weekend at home, then took a honeymoon trip to Lake Tahoe.

Just a few months after we got married, we moved to the San Luis Obispo area to attend Cal Poly. We found out what the housing market is like leading up to fall quarter (as soon as one bedroom apartments are advertised, they’re gone) and were very blessed to aquire our current home in Grover Beach. We live in a cozy studio apartment with the world’s best landlords! Mike & Christine are a wonderful LDS couple that took a chance on us newlyweds when all we knew was that Financial Aid would come and Teresa was looking for a job. We found an ad online on Wednesday, a week and a half before we were planning on moving, saw the place that Sunday and moved the following Friday. It felt like home right away, and became such really fast!

We were blessed right away with a good job opportunity for Teresa. She is working in the accounting department of Morris & Garritano Insurance Agency, the largest insurance agency on the central coast. She is one of three assistants working under the CFO, doing a variety of assignments that are both fulfilling and challenging. It is a great opportunity to learn and grow.

With all the stress of moving and looking for work, we were surpised to find we had a week to settle in before classes started at Cal Poly because they changed the calendar after we made our plans in the spring. David’s study of Architecture at Cal Poly continues—his second year coming to a close in just a few short weeks. He is working hard and designing beautiful pieces of work. Teresa’s favorite model so far was his “Mammal Mansion” in the fall quarter, where he designed and built a home for a Fresno Kangaroo Rat in the style of Fay Jones. It seemed an interesting assignment, even strange to some, but the end result was a beautiful wooden structure that only exists in memory…sadly it was too large to keep, so it got demolished when David moved out of his “second home” studio for the quarter break. While school is stressful, we’re hoping and praying for the best that this path leads to.

Oddly enough, David’s favorite class this quarter seems to be his Humanities class! “Values and Technology” currently involves the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and discussions about how social values are affected by new technology. We enjoy discussing the various class topics after class two nights a week on the way home, and reading the book together as well.

We have been taking the “Building an Eternal Marriage” institute class together on Tuesday nights with this year’s missionary couple, Elder and Sister Greenall. It is a learning and enriching experience that will be a strength to us for a long time to come.

Since last fall, school and work have occupied most of our time. As members of the Pismo Beach ward we have also been blessed with a few callings that we’re still trying to get under our belt, so to speak. We were called as the ward Music Chair early on, and are organizing ward choir which has been missed in this ward for a long time. We’re excited that so many ward members are looking forward to the opportunity! We’ve also been called to the Primary board and are teaching the Valient 9 class, with 6 active students. David is also an instructor in the Elders Quorum, assigned to the Teachings for Our Times lessons.

It’s hard to believe that we have been living here for almost eight months. We have been able to make a few trips away to visit our loved ones in California, in the Sacramento area and Los Angeles. Since moving down here we’ve attended the Sacramento, Los Angeles, Fresno, and San Diego temples and are so blessed to live so close to so many.

A typical week includes so much busyness that even our neighbors/landlords don’t see us. We used to look forward to going to church with them, but since Mike was called to be the Sunday School president and we then went to Primary, we’re lucky to wave in the hallways. They have become very good friends, and we will always cherish the time we’ve spent in their home.

We‘re sorry that we have been a little neglectful in thanking all the wonderful people that showed their love and support of our wonderful wedding experience last May. Knowing we would move from Rancho Cordova soon after we were married, we decided we’d send thank yous out with an address that would last a while. We appoligize for the delay in expressing our deep gratitude to you for your love and generosity in supporting us and loving us so much. We are still writing notes to thank each of you individually, so please don’t feel forgotten. We are so blessed by each of you and the love we feel from you.

We’ve had a wonderful anniversary weekend. On Saturday we attended the Los Angeles Temple to help fulfill our ward’s sealing assignment. We had a wonderful session in the beautiful sealing room doing proxy work for relatives of our wonderful ward organist and her husband. After the session, we had lunch then continued the temple work for some of Teresa’s mother’s line that her sister started with baptisms last March. The whole time at the temple was reminiscent and beautifully uplifting. We took the scenic route home…much as we did when we left the Oakland Temple a year ago, just enjoying being together on our way home. Our aniversary weekend is ending so we’ll say goodbye for now and eat some more of that cheesecake. We love you!

Love and hugs,
David and Teresa

Sidebar Changes

Mom has given me access to the layout of the blog to upgrade the feeds from family blogs. I've added the Recent Entries on Family Blogs feed to the sidebar. This feed shows the five (limited by Blogger, not me) family blogs that were most recently updated. I've been a little creative in the naming of each link. I wanted to include the blog authors name and the title of their recent post, but I didn't want to ignore the title of thier blog. Please let me know if you have any feedback on this format.

[Update: 6 May 2006] It looks like the Recent Entries Feed is not being updated accurately. The problem seems to lie in getting the list of family blogs from my bloglines account. I'll have to look into a better way to make it work.

[Update: 8 May 2006] I changed from using my bloglines account directly to using a file I copied from it to another website. The part that parses the list seems to work more reliably, but Yahoo Pipes still cant seem to get it all the way through the pipeline reliably (uses 4 pipes to get the feed the way I want it. It looks like the only way to do it reliably einough is to get a server where I can run custom code but I'm not ready to commit to paid hosting.

[Update: 10 May 2007] It looks like the best way to make this work is to manually enter the blogs to monitor in Yahoo! Pipes. It makes the pipeline much more simple, but it will be slightly more work to update when a new blog needs to be added or a blog moves to a new blog site.

[Update: 13 May 2007] While the feed I created for this feature was limited to one entry per external blog, Blogger was remembering old items that had been in the feed and continuing to display them. I think I have fixed this by setting the ID of the feed item to the full domain name of the blog, So instead of a new entry on an external blog being a new entry in the feed, it is now an update to an existing entry of the feed. Let's see if this works.

[Update: 16 May 2007] It finally seems to be working. I had to associate and ID with the position in the feed because Blogger doesn't seem to want to reorder items that it has previously include. The sidebar listing also has a conciderable delay from the live posting because of caching of the data by both Yahoo Pipes and blogger. Unfortunately Yahoo Pipes cache for infrequently updated feeds seems to be quite long.

Counting Down the Days

Married life has been a challenge for Erik and I. We have been married a little over one month and we have actually only spent seven days together. The picture was taken at my favorite Anasazi ruin. We are hoping to come back to this spot to celebrate our first anniversary.


Erik did come down a couple of weeks ago and he took me to my first high school prom. I had to be there because I am the Junior class advisor but it was so sweet that Erik took the time and made my night special. The DJ even dedicated a song to us and we danced even though neither of us are very good at it. We are hoping to take dance classes sometime soon.

Today we have exactly 20 days left before Erik arrives in his little yellow school bus to whisk me away to our palace connected to the car wash.I still have a lot of packing to do and the steps I need to take to check out of school are exhausting, but I will be ready when Erik arrives.

Once I arrive in Havre, I will have a couple of weeks to get settled before we start our honeymoon trip. Our first stop will be Whitefish, Montana where we will have a festive and relaxed celebration with family and friends. We will leave Whitefish and head for Seattle, visiting some of Erik's friends on our way and eventually we will end up in Alaska to spend a week fishing. We will spend a couple more days visiting my Childhood friend,Lynnda and her family in Alaska before we come home with one hundred pounds of salmon. If you have a chance, come visit us in Montana and we will have a salmon feed!

Next year we go to Africa!!!

I said YES

Brian and I will be getting married this summer. No date set yet. Just a few things to work out like selling a house and moving to Conrad, just small set backs.
The girls are so happy and Morgan wont stop calling him daddy. He loves being called this. It makes him smile so big.
We only have a few weeks left in school and it is getting hot here in Conrad. We can't wait to take the 4 wheelers and the boat out soon.

I wont be able to do much this summer. With having to have surgery on the 4th of June. Just have to have an ulcer removed to prevent this from happening again. Then a wedding to plan for.