No More Texas Summer Heat?!

We may not have to spend another summer here in Texas!

The foundry in Spokane, Washington that we want Marshall to work for after graduation (May 2014) offered him a summer internship for 2013. In fact, they REALLY want him to do the internship. 

We met Ed, the General Manager of Spokane Industries, on April 30th, at a Foundry Education Foundation (FEF) banquet in San Marcos; he sat to Marshall's left at our table. After completing this summer's internship at Denison, Marshall wanted to contact Ed about employment in the future. He left some messages, and apparently Ed got them. He passed Marshall's name along to the Technical Director Rod along with our story of Marshall being in school and us genuinely wanting to move to the northern Idaho area upon graduation. He really liked that Marshall was "stable" and had a family. 

Well, on Tuesday (I think it was), Rod called Marshall but had to leave a voice message. He explained who he was, that Ed had given him Marshall's name, and overall a very inviting message about wanting to see what they could do for Marshall. He left his direct phone number (no more leaving messages with the secretary) too. They were finally able to speak on the phone Friday afternoon, and that conversation definitely set us on a trajectory to change our lives forever. 

The foundry has zero robots, and Rod was quite interested in Marshall's experience with them from his Denison internship plus the extra curricular involvement he's doing with them right now with Dr. Amari on campus. Rod offered him a summer internship for 2013, and Marshall explained that he'd be interested but did come with some baggage with having a wife and baby. Rod's reaction--"Bring them; we love families!" They would set us up with accommodations and wage, and baby and I could go up there too--spend the entire summer together in the area we eventually want to move to. How much more amazing could this get?! 

Marshall's going to send Rod his resume, which I'm sure will make him like Marshall even more considering his military and computing backgrounds. Rod wrapped up the conversation by saying that he definitely wants to keep in touch with Marshall and build a relationship with him through 2014. Wow!

We went out to dinner to celebrate and talk about how this will affect our future. We see nothing but positives here. After Denison, we decided that we would not move there or take any possible job offer from them upon Marshall's graduation. We discussed what to do about next summer, and decided that if Marshall had an opportunity to do an internship out of state, we would have to all go together because I didn't want to be left here alone in Austin to raise baby during a very critical time in his development. Not to mention how lonely Marshall and I were without each other even with visits every 2-3 weekends. The only way all of us could go together would be if we found someone we trusted to house-sit for us, and we couldn't think of any viable solutions. We decided that Marshall would stay here in Austin and hope that a local opportunity for an internship would arise probably in a non-foundry industry. In the very least, we could raise our son together and he would program full time for income. Now, by going to Spokane and getting our expenses paid for plus a wage comparable to what Denison paid him, going up there sounds like the best option. We're going to talk with cousin Mitchell, who is a year younger than me, and who just moved to Austin 3 weeks ago and has been staying with us, if he would consider staying at our house for next summer. 

I texted my Aunt Lorraine, who lives in CDA, that I had good news and wanted to call. Uncle Jet and Grandma Barbara were also on speaker phone when I shared with them the news of the day and that we might be up there for the entire summer next year. We had planned on going there for a week in early August. It's going to be so amazing living closer to them; my heart rejoices because I love them so much, and they will be such a positive influence on Merrick. They were all really excited! Uncle Jet asked how me coming up for the summer would affect my job, and I said that we plan for me to be a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM) after baby is born. Then thinking about it more, this would be a really good reason why I couldn't come back to work for Pentagon. My FMLA leave will be from December 21st to mid-March, but then if I went back, it would only be for 2 months and then I would be gone for the summer. 

All this excitement is the reason I'm awake at 5am on a Saturday. Can you blame me? :)

Holding Down the Fort

May has been a very fortunate month in our household. It started off with Marshall only having 2 final exams for his four classes and being finished on May 4th. Sarah watched the Kentucky Derby on May 5th, and Marshall began working on his car (Natasha), which has been out of commission since December. He also logged quite a few computer programming hours for his part-time job. His big task was creating a mobile app for the truck drivers to use instead of their current paperwork method.

The biggest news of all came around the middle of the month when Marshall was in contact with Denison Industries (Denison, Texas), and they negotiated terms of his summer internship. He will be employed May 29th through August 17th. The company is taking care of a fully furnished one bedroom apartment for him (that by the way it sounds is decorated nicer than our house), plus a generous weekly salary. Marshall is on the Engineering team, which consists of the Engineering Manager, one experienced engineer, a newbie, plus now Marshall. There were two other team members recently, but one retired and one was let go. Based off my own experience at the company that I work for, it sucks having a short-staffed engineering team. Marshall seems to be getting along fantastically well with everyone, even charmed the HR ladies his first day. He foresees a very possible job opportunity with Denison after he graduates in just under 2 years.

So with Marshall away, it's just me and the three cats. We're holding down the fort alright. I bought the cats new toy mice, which they seem to like better than their current collection (hurray). They miss Marshall though. Misti, who is very much a daddy's girl, actually seeks me out at times to let me pet her; that never happens.

I'm still working, and trying to have some fun during the week. This past Wednesday I went to Pluckers Wing Bar with some girlfriends and we played trivia. I had their lemon pepper wings and macaroni & cheese--absolutely delicious! We may go again next week too. This weekend I feel like browsing through stores, so I think I will go to the mall. I haven't been to a mall since Black Friday, plus I can get some exercise walking around in the air conditioning. I'm also going to meet up with my friend Candice this weekend to talk about her baby shower since she found out she's having a girl since the last time we hung out. Eek! I'm so excited. My other goal for the weekend is to retire all of our Christmas decorations including the tree and box them up. Yes, I've had Christmas in my house for six months. With Natasha's front end taken part and stuck in the garage, we couldn't pull down the ladder to the attic where all the storage boxes were. Before Marshall left he brought everything down for me. This weekend it will all get boxed up, then when he comes home next weekend, he can haul it up there. I'm not even sure if we're going to put it back up this year. Oi!

Marshall did such a great job putting Natasha back together again. The engine started on the first try; it was beautiful and horrible at the same time. Something sounded like metal popcorn (ut-oh), and he found out he needed a new water pump. Since he had to leave no later than May 28th, and Natasha wasn't fixed, we rented him a car and made plans for me to have her towed to a local specialty shop for German cars called Austin Veedub, which was Marshall's home-away-from-home in May since he was there every other day picking up replacement parts. I got Natasha over there on Wednesday, and haven't heard back from them about proceeding further and a cost estimate, so I'll call on Monday and see if there's going to be a snowball's chance in hell that they can have it ready for pick up next Saturday morning.

June promises to be an exciting month. Marshall will be home late on Friday the 8th, and we're going to lunch with his parents and some of the Lesnick family who will be in town on Saturday. Mars will drive back to Denison on Sunday the 10th. On Friday the 15th, my best friend Heather in NC flies out to spend the weekend with me. I'm so excited!!! The following weekend (23-24) is free yet, and then we get ready to leave for our Utah/Wyoming trip on July 1st!!

Knowing You're in the Right Spot

I know that Marshall and I are on the right path in our lives right now. Here's why.

On Monday night (4/30) we were invited to the Foundry Educational Foundation's (FEF) spring meeting banquet. During the day they took a tour of Texas State University where Marshall is a student in their industrial technology program and has experience with the foundry course offered there. He and some other students and faculty gave the FEF a tour earlier in the day, then there was the banquet in the evening at the Embassy Suites.

Marshall introduces me to his professors, then we are told that dinner is about to begin and to sit at the tables, which hold 8 people each. We're towards the back of the room, and we sit at the table in the back right corner. On my right is a man from NY who is on the FEF, and Marshall is on my left. On his left was a guy named Ed from Spokane Industries in Washington state. Mr. Clay, the man awarding Marshall the FEF internship scholarship was also at his table with his wife, who surprisingly has family in my hometown. Another colorful and amazing character was Bob Smillee (Smiley), who we chatted with for nearly 30 minutes after the conference ended (another story).

After the President of the FEF does his introductions and speech, we eat our dinner salads. During that time one of Marshall's professors comes to him and asks if he's met the representative from Denison Industries, the company that we're hoping Marshall will get to work for this summer. Apparently it was the gentleman sitting right behind Marshall, who at the time of the conversation was out of his seat. Moments later he returns, and according to Marshall, Marty tells him, "So, I hear you're coming to work with us this summer." Marshall: "We haven't heard a response back from Denison, but I definitely want to." "Here's my contact information, and we'll work it all out." !!!!!  Marshall has the contact information for someone at Denison and can ask questions about details for his internship!!!! Oh, this made me so happy!

Side note, things that Denison and Marshall will have to negotiate are:  terms of employment, salary, living accommodations, working hours, length of the internship, and also getting the first week of July off for us to go on vacation.

If meeting someone from Denison wasn't enough, Ed, the gentleman on Marshall's left, works at a foundry in Spokane, Washington, which is only 20 miles from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. I want to move to CDA so much, and now we have a contact at a foundry that Marshall *could possibly work for!!! Needless to say I was one excited wife as we were driving home. Not only are the odds in Marshall's favor for having a spectacular internship at Denison for the entire summer, but we could move to CDA and Marshall be employed in his field. *dreamy sigh

New Opportunity

By the end of January, Marshall's management professor Chris emailed his class and other audiences a part-time computer programming internship opportunity at the successful small business he manages. The paid internship would be March 1 to May 31st with 20-25 hours per week. Chad is their sole computer programmer and has a mounting pile of to-do projects, thus, the need for some part-time help. 

Marshall decided that with his computer programming background, he would apply. The offer included that they would be flexible around students' school schedules. Why not take a stab in the dark? A few days after submission, Chris contacted him for more details. Shortly thereafter, Marshall had a great phone interview with Chad. He had a face-to-face interview on February 10th, along with other candidates. Sunday night he received the acceptance confirmation in an email from Chad, and they would like him to start the following Friday the 17th, which was nearly 2 weeks early! 

Turns out Marshall was the only candidate they selected although they would have hired more if they would have been competent in computer programming; turns out they were not. Marshall had a successful first day and got along splendidly with Chad and everyone else he was introduced to. He's been set up with all the information he needs to begin telecommuting from home or school as well. 

I'm having to do some adjustments of my own because with his homework, torn apart car in the garage, and now new job, his responsibilities will mean less time for me. I really do need a hobby to keep me occupied and entertained while he is busy. I think it also may be necessary for us to designate a particular evening during the weekend to be just for us together so that we remember that we comply with our crazy schedules for our ultimate goals together. 

I'm very proud of him, and I know he's going to do fantastic at his new job!

Song Stuck in My Head

"Wake Me Up When September Ends"
August flew by way to fast, but September is going to come and go at lightning speed because we have so much going on this month. I'm not even close to being ready for October or Halloween yet--help!

Monday the 29th I went to a Girl Scout council meeting for Oak Hill, a suburb of sorts in WSW Austin. I've volunteered to organize the Holiday Bazaar in December. Troops sign up to make crafts to sell at the event, which are bought by other girls and their families to use as Christmas gifts. I love crafts (and Christmas) so I decided to take on the challenge. Plus, I have a few months to get organized. Right now I'm scanning pinterest.com for craft ideas to share with the troop leaders and their girls.

Tuesday the 30th was a special day for Marshall and me. I'm officially a toddler wife (inside story). I got home from work to find a very sleepy hubby on the couch. He took a nap while I talked to my grandmother on the phone for 1.5 hours or so. It was her 88th birthday! Longevity definitely runs in her side of the family. She's doing amazing, and I'm so glad I got to talk to her. At 6:30 I jolted Marshall out of bed because we had to be at the massage place at 6:45. We were about 10 minutes late, but they didn't mind. While he was way becoming noodlefied, I went to Kohl's to look at clothes. I found a pair of jeans that fit me, and not only that, I'll still be able to wear them as a go down a size or two by the end of the year. They gave me a huge self-confidence boost! I picked up Mars and we had dinner nearby at a new (for us) Chinese buffet. I had sushi and edamame, which made me happy. We actually got the same fortune, and it fit Marshall perfectly. We had a good laugh.

Wednesday the 31st was a long day at work--8:00am to 6:30pm. It was the last day of the month and we were trying to squeeze every last dollar out of the facility as possible. I stayed late because I was waiting on a $45K purchase order, which was going to be a nice cushion for the day. It was worth it because the extra hours helped me leave a little early from work today. :) We had veggie tacos with pepper jack cheese, sour cream, bell peppers, onions, avocados, spinach and tomatoes on whole wheat tortillas. We liked it so much we're doing it again tonight, lol.

Thursday the 1st was really fun. We had a dinner date with some of my new friends, and two other ladies brought their men along; Marshall got along well with both of them, but I didn't doubt he would. We went to Milano's Cafe, which we had never been to before. Excellent, excellent Italian food. The place was BYOB, and we brought wine. We had 10 people total and it was so much fun just talking, sharing stories, and getting to know new people. I told everyone that I wanted to have a Halloween party at my house the last Saturday night in October, and now everyone is really excited. Time to get some tips and ideas from the Halloween Queen, my mother-in-law!

Friday the 2nd--the start of the long weekend that officially closes chapter Summer 2011. Time for the heat to break and let the rain wash the spiders away!! Tonight is going to be low key for us because this weekend we are going to Cypress to visit with Marshall's parents. It's going to be a great weekend because wine and cards are going to be involved. :D

Stay safe everyone!

End of July

Last week was very busy for me at work. I think I worked something like 50 hours, even pulling two 12-hour days back to back. We had a big audit by a huge potential client (has anyone heard of Samsung before?!) on Thursday, so we were frantically trying to get our shop looking marvelous. I think we pulled it off, lol. I won't know if Samsung liked what they saw and will be sending us business anytime soon, but at least all the craziness is over.

This past weekend I went to San Antonio to spend Saturday night with a friend from North Dakota as it is her birthday this upcoming Wednesday. We went to dinner, and I got to play with her 11 month old daughter. Of course we talked non-stop. It was nice to take a drive away from the city.

On Sunday I went grocery shopping while Marshall slept. All summer he's been preparing meals, cleaning, and doing house projects while I've been at work. I decided I would take something off his list while he slept. This week for dinner we're having:
*Lasagna with eggplant, vegetables, and ground turkey
*French onion soup
*Eggplant Parmesian
*Lemon chicken with stir fry pasta
*Grilled chicken breasts with fruit salsa
*Cobb salads

I also started working on presents for Melissa's baby shower that I'm hosting on August 7th. So far I made a receiving blanket that doubles as a towel and 2 bibs. I need to go get some more thread so I can finish up more sewing projects for her. :) I'll post pictures when I have everything completed.

Tonight has a relaxing night. We watched Sunday's episode of True Blood together. I made pico de gallo while Marshall put together the lasagna. Can't wait to have some in a little bit! Tuesday night I have a personal training session at 6pm. Wednesday is free at the moment, and Thursday is the big day--Marshall's 28th birthday! I have one present for him that he's going to love. His bigger birthday present is a murder mystery date downtown on Friday night. Shhh, he doesn't know this but his parents are coming up from Houston as a surprise. We haven't seen them since April, so it will be a really great evening with the four of us together.

Saturday I'll go to the gym after my WW meeting, but other than that the weekend is still wide open. Sunday is our one year anniversary of our wedding in Idaho. I can't wait until we move there in 8 years, lol. :p We haven't decided on what we'll do on Sunday together yet. I guess we better get crackin' on that, huh?

July is always a good month, but I feel that the end really signifies the beginning of the climb towards the holidays. Kids will be counting down the last few days of summer while parents save up to buy school supplies. Then it's all about dec'ing out the house for Halloween. We'll probably stay in Austin for Thanksgiving since I want to run the Turkey Trot 5K on that morning, and I've volunteered to work the day after Thanksgiving incase my co-worker Emily wants it off. Then of course the big event of my birthday is next--I'll be 25--followed closely by Christmas and 2012. This year will be another good one for us, but I can't wait until '12 because then we're closer to Marshall being finished with school...and babies. :D

The Scheme Behind the Smile

I'm trying to plump up the production manager at work. The End.

Just kidding. Here's the full story. :)
In January, 16 people at my work started a weight loss contest to see who could lose the most percentage of body weight by April 4th. Each contestant put $25 in the pot, and winner takes all. The production manager is a guy who definitely knows how to exercise and lose weight. It just so happens that this past Monday was his birthday. A week prior I came up with a great scheme!

Sunday night I went to The Cheesecake Factory and chose this tall cheesecake with alternating layers of Reese's peanut butter cups, cheesecake and fudge cake. It was breath-taking to say the least. I took it home and put it in the fridge. Before going to bed I brought out my glass cake stand with the dome top and a small light blue plate that would fit inside.

Monday morning I arrived at work at 7am, well before Chris gets there around 8am, so I could set up my display. He walks into his office and sees this cheesecake on the plate inside the cake display, which had curled ribbon around the handle at the top. Braced against this marvel is a birthday card that everyone had signed the previous Friday.

Did I want Chris to have a good birthday at work? Of course. Did I want to help draw some extra attention his way on his special day? Of course. Did I want to trap him into not being able to resist eating hundreds of calories of cheesecake, knowing that he would probably be going out to dinner that night with his family and have cake and ice cream too? Of course!!! He managed to eat half of it (which was still about 500 calories), and offered the rest to Mario, the evening supervisor who loves any dessert that is brought in. Other than Chris eating it all and complaining the next day that his pants were a little tighter, this was the best result I could get. I consider it a success! *scheming giggle

Saving the Day at Work

I was on my lunch break when my computer froze up. It wouldn't respond when I clicked on any icons. I rebooted it, and it wouldn't let me log in. Then I found out it was happening to everyone else in the facility!

I called Erik our head IT guy at our Portland site. When we opened up the tiny closet that holds all of our computer hardware & server stuff, it smelt like sparklers on the fourth of July. The switch had fried. Erik found a replacement at Fry's Electronics, so I went to go buy it. Mean time, everything but the production line at work is non-functional.

I pick up the switch box, bring it back, hook it up, and see that it's working. However, when we test to see if that solves our problem of not being able to log in, it doesn't. No luck. Back to the server room I go while talking with Erik on my cell phone. We found out the our site's server hard drive thing doesn't have a green light like the other hard drives. A little over a hour later, we get the server to work, and the computers are good to go! Hurray!!

What made this so challenging is that both my office manager and director where out of the office that day. When we hire another customer service person, which will hopfully be soon, I will begin taking on some IT duties. When IT issues arise, I'll be the one communicating with Erik about them while the new CSR will be taking care of customers.

Any way, I'm really proud of myself for learning on the spot and getting the shop up and going with only a 4 hour down time. :)