Everything has changed

[CebuShan]

Another CA pro: Northern is soooo much nicer than southern! You could visit my Mom (who is not crazy & loves company!) she lives on the coast and has a beautiful view of the ocean. On second thought, why don't you move into the house we are moving to and we will move back to CA!   

[cariad]

Oh. My. God. Karol that picture is simply divine!

CAL PRO: Marc lives there and he has camped from Mt Shasta to San Diego and from Big Sur to the Colorado river.  He can tell you about hundred's of camp areas.

It is getting really heavy over on the Cal Pro side of the scales!

MM, you're crazy! (you said I could ). No, absolutely right on the positives of no fire season. That is one horrible memory (well, months of memories) that I have from our latest time there, everything was spontaneously combusting around us. We would come outside and the car would be covered in a layer of ash. Aidan's soccer games were cancelled due to wildfire making for unbreathable air. It got old. The hours of my life wasted in a car every bloody day also was beyond wearing. Cannot agree with you on the heat, though. I have a pretty wretched case of SAD and I need the heat and light to be functional. That is a UK Con for sure, at least in winter. Summer, I could not get enough of those endless days. Having been in CA for the meltdown of the US financial system, I know only too well what a mess the whole state is in. One of my best friends is an economist, and he once put it this way: Pretend you're in debt. (Gee, I'll try!) Let's say it's a substantial amount of debt, around $250,000, you'd be concerned, right? It would be a struggle, you'd have to make a lot of adjustments, you might not be able to pay it back, but there would be some hope. Now let's say that overnight increased to $8 million. That is the type of situation that California is up against. Yes, Cal Con.

Aleta, yes, PLEASE come visit us, wherever we land. Door is always open.

Thanks for the support, Todd. Yes, options, even logistically difficult ones, are certainly preferable to what we were facing last week.

CS, I love the Bay Area, but I don't dare open up the NoCal/LoCal debate right now. That could last weeks....

[natnnnat]

UK Con: [...] uncertain school opportunities for kids, culture shock for kids, uncertain ReLo

When I was a kid, we moved very often.  I went to two preschools, four primary schools and two highschools. My brother and I got used to being the new kids.  I think it was good for us.

[cariad]

UK Con: [...] uncertain school opportunities for kids, culture shock for kids, uncertain ReLo

When I was a kid, we moved very often.  I went to two preschools, four primary schools and two highschools. My brother and I got used to being the new kids.  I think it was good for us.

Thank you, Nat, this is unbelievably appreciated. Gwyn began tearing up when I read it to him. I told him that if our kids turn out anything like you, we'll count ourselves lucky.

Wanted to share these school photos of the kids. Keep in mind, we've been so distracted, we completely forgot about picture day, so the boys were not wearing their usual formal gear, and they had not even combed their hair properly. Aidan has told us he wants to grow his hair long, and we always tell him he's got 'soccer player hair', so he seems to like the look of the unkempt, flowing locks.

Anyhow, I was shocked to discover how great these pictures turned out. Aidan, who is gorgeous (and cannot stand the embarrassment of hearing this ) has never been particularly photogenic. This photo manages to capture what the world sees when they meet him face to face.

Liot was wearing his shirt that he painted with a water pistol on holiday. It would not have been my first choice of attire, but that mischievous glimmer of a smile could not be any more Elliot unless they were able to insert a microchip with him saying "No, Mommy, that's a brachiosaurus. See that bump on the top of his head?...." (He actually said this to me in Chicago, once again correcting my pitiful dinosaur ignorance. He was three.)

We can have the photos redone for free. I love the Aidan shots and don't think we could do any better. I may send Liot in with a nicer shirt, and hopefully they can work their magic with him twice.

[okarol]

Such handsome boys!! 

[willowtreewren]

They are BOTH great shots! 

Aleta

[lmunchkin]

So Adorable Cariad!  Thanks for sharing!  Good looking lads!!!!

lmunchkin
 

[pitagory]

Cariad your boys are super handsome and I would not do anything to change the pictures if any thing, I think that these kind of pictures where they are not all dressed up to take a picture, are the best ones. those are the ones that  will always have a grate story to tell behind it.

[CebuShan]

Aww, great photos!

[cariad]

Thank you, everyone! I love them to bits! 

Liot wants a haircut and his photo reshot, so we'll probably do that, but you're right, Pitagory - although these photos are so staged, the real kids shine through because we did not plan for this at all.

[rsudock]

love the boys' pics!!!

xo,
R

[del]

Great pictures!!

[monrein]

I was so excited to see photos of the boys Cariad and even more so since having met you and Gwyn.  I was searching for bits of each of you in them and there they were! 

Thanks for sharing these with us.   

[Poppylicious]

Awww, I love school photots!  They're gorgeous, cariad.

 

[cariad]

You all are so sweet! The quickest way to a permanent spot in my good graces is to compliment my children! I never tire of hearing them admired.
 

Update: Gwyn signed an offer, so he is now employed again. He starts Monday. Yes, as in less than 5 days! They have promised to make allowances in these early months for him to fly back and forth as we pack up and get out of Milwaukee, hopefully for the last time!

It is not ideal, nothing about this is ideal, HOWEVER this did sort out better than we could have dared hope. I guess MM was right, the universe did actually send us a blessing in disguise, instead of the usual disaster that is too lazy to pretend to be anything else! Wonder of wonders! Because of Gwyn's severance agreement, he will draw two salaries for a brief while. This is just the symbolic Eff You he wanted toward the company that sacked him.

Oh, and now that he is employed again, I may as well pass along our amusing cautionary tale. After G was let go from the first company, he sent an email to his colleague with an Onion article that he said could be about his former boss. The satirical article was about a company director being discovered to be 'an asshole'. This email accidentally went to his friend's work email instead of her personal account, and was intercepted by HR at their former workplace.

So, not only are they paying G while he is working for and being paid by someone else, but he called his boss an a-hole and got away with it. Just remember, kids, never send anyone an email if you are not prepared to see all of that information eventually leak out to the world. This would have been devastating if he had made that mistake while still employed with them, so I've made him promise to never, never, ever do anything like that again.

[MooseMom]

Wait a minute...exactly where are you going?  Is it CA after all?  It's great news that he's found employment so quickly!  How are you feeling about this?  And the boys?  Have you all had time to really process all of this?     Maybe it's best that you don't have time to think, only to DO!  This is fabulous news, congratulations to all of you!

Your boys look just like you and Gwyn!!  It's amazing!  Especially Liot!

[CebuShan]

               Congratulations on the job! Is it CA then? Just in time to avoid the midwest winter! Best of luck to you! If we can't meet before you leave, I'll be out there in July for my "decade" (class) reunion.

[YLGuy]

Yes! 
I think you forgot to tell us the three most important things...Locatoin, location and location! (City & State)?

[Desert Dancer]

Update: Gwyn signed an offer, so he is now employed again. He starts Monday. Yes, as in less than 5 days! They have promised to make allowances in these early months for him to fly back and forth as we pack up and get out of Milwaukee, hopefully for the last time!

*GASP!* That was fast! (Though I bet it didn't seem that way to you.) Congratulations!!! 

And: WHERE, woman, WHERE???!!! Geez, it's like pulling teeth...

[cariad]

Slight change in plans! (It's good, though.) Because we have this mediation appointment that we are trying to change to late November, Gwyn has requested that they not ask him to keep flying to and fro. Mediation may be changed to week after Thanksgiving holiday, or may be mid-December as it's currently scheduled. They want Gwyn to start on a Monday (no idea) and do not have the time to prep for him to start this coming Monday, so it has been pushed back all the way to December 5. We lose the week or two of salary, but for the extra time and breathing room, I think it is more than worth it.

And: WHERE, woman, WHERE???!!! Geez, it's like pulling teeth...

D'oh! Left that out, did I?

I think you forgot to tell us the three most important things...Locatoin, location and location! (City & State)?

So I wouldn't make much of a real estate agent!
City of
State of Chaos, Confusion and.... California.

[CebuShan]

               Hurrah! Someone else to visit (and an excuse to extend my trip!) when I go home next summer! Best of luck to you all!

[Desert Dancer]

So I wouldn't make much of a real estate agent!
City of
State of Chaos, Confusion and.... California.

YAY!!! We're gonna be neighbors, we're gonna be neighbors! 

Well, almost. It's just a five-hour drive!  I can come see you when I finalize my Italian citizenship! You can come to Phoenix and stay for a long weekend! It's all so good.

I know California's not your first choice (particularly LA, yuck), but it's gotta be for the best, right?

[monrein]

OK, I'll admit it now....I've been holding my breath waiting for good news on the Gwyn job front and while I love the colour blue, as a complexion shade it's not the greatest.
I'm relieved that this offer is here, ideal or not.     

[YLGuy]

The city of Angels!!! 
Around the weekend of April 20th next year Gwyn and the boys are welcome to come with me and my boys to a campout at Diaz Lake.  It will be about 100 fathers and sons catching fresh trout, riding quads and shooting guns in the desert. 

[willowtreewren]

Oh, Cariad! I'm so very glad for all of you!

So you HAVE been able to rip the disguise off of this opportunity. 

I'm still trying to find the opportunity in this torn rotator cuff! LOL! 

  Aleta