Sunday, January 31, 2010
New Calling
I've been called to be the Assistant Varsity Scout Coach in our ward. I'm excited to work with the boys. I'm nervous because I haven't been real "outdoorsy" although I do enjoy camping and stuff. Mostly I hope I'll be able to help the boys prepare to be Priests and on their way to the mission field. If I can do anything with them from the scouting side too, it'll be fantastic.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Got Work?
I do! I do! It hasn't been as long a search as some have had these days, but I'm VERY thankful to say that I have officially accepted an offer of employment. The company is called Cylon Corporation up in Scottsdale and I don't really have much idea what they do yet. But, I'll be working on the development team, doing automation and qa stuff in PHP.
It was really kind of a fluke the way this happened. I posted a resume on their site back in November for an Automation QA position. A week ago Sunday I was going back through places I had already posted and updating resumes. While there, I saw a PHP developer position available. I remembered it was available when I applied before, so I decided to give it a go. Lo and behold I got a call last week, an interview last Friday, an informal verbal offer last Friday afternoon, and an official everything-in-writing offer this morning! I'll start February 1, so I have a few days to work on the house here without working on finding a job at the same time. A funny coincident, the HR guy who contacted me is the same guy I worked with when I applied at GoDaddy almost exactly two years ago. Crazy! I guess he likes this place better too!
There are a lot of cool "perks," like they bring in lunch everyday, keep a fridge/snack shelf stocked with food and drink so you can almost eat all three meals there (I better not though, or I'll gain back all the weight I've lost so far - about 20 pounds). Another exciting note is that I'm getting a raise with this new job. I'm on a bonus plan (I guess some people are on a straight salary plan), which means that if bonuses are paid out every quarter, I could end up getting a 22% raise from Novell. This is such a huge blessing and sigh of relief that I almost can't believe it. Thank you so much to everyone who helped in every way, even supporting words encouraged me and helped me stay positive during this trial. I'm nervous and excited to start this new chapter in my career. It's going to be a lot longer commute up to Scottsdale than down the hallway to my den, but I'm happy for the opportunity.
It was really kind of a fluke the way this happened. I posted a resume on their site back in November for an Automation QA position. A week ago Sunday I was going back through places I had already posted and updating resumes. While there, I saw a PHP developer position available. I remembered it was available when I applied before, so I decided to give it a go. Lo and behold I got a call last week, an interview last Friday, an informal verbal offer last Friday afternoon, and an official everything-in-writing offer this morning! I'll start February 1, so I have a few days to work on the house here without working on finding a job at the same time. A funny coincident, the HR guy who contacted me is the same guy I worked with when I applied at GoDaddy almost exactly two years ago. Crazy! I guess he likes this place better too!
There are a lot of cool "perks," like they bring in lunch everyday, keep a fridge/snack shelf stocked with food and drink so you can almost eat all three meals there (I better not though, or I'll gain back all the weight I've lost so far - about 20 pounds). Another exciting note is that I'm getting a raise with this new job. I'm on a bonus plan (I guess some people are on a straight salary plan), which means that if bonuses are paid out every quarter, I could end up getting a 22% raise from Novell. This is such a huge blessing and sigh of relief that I almost can't believe it. Thank you so much to everyone who helped in every way, even supporting words encouraged me and helped me stay positive during this trial. I'm nervous and excited to start this new chapter in my career. It's going to be a lot longer commute up to Scottsdale than down the hallway to my den, but I'm happy for the opportunity.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Ward scramble
We were surprised this new year with ward boundary changes. January 10th, our ward was invited to a special fireside meeting along with 6 other wards in our Stake. The Stake presidency said they knew they needed to make some changes, but that they were trying to make it as little as possible. Somehow, that wasn't what was meant to happen because in the end, the right change was huge. After all the short talks were given on change and fellowshipping, and reaching out to others, all the maps were explained. My stomach literally dropped when I realized I was just one of about 9 families getting "shaved" off my ward and put into another ward. I loved my ward. Really, these people are the cream of the crop people. I wasn't ready for this kind of change. I just got to know these people. I really didn't want to start over! But, as is always the case, Heavenly Father knows what we need. I didn't even make it one week before being called to be the 1st Counselor in the Primary Presidency. I love the Primary and I am ready to dig in and serve. Our first week as a Presidency was a little overwhelming. I have so many people to get to know, and I need to do it quickly. I have a feeling that this is exactly what I need. I know that Heavenly Father knows each of us and is in the details of our lives. He cares about each of us and what is happening to us. It took a little while, but I can finally say that I am excited for this change.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Ice Ice Baby
Since leaving AZ to go to school/mission/etc. my parents have gone to Disney On Ice several times with the AZ crew that was around. They didn't go every year and it's been a few years since the last time, but they asked if we'd be interested this year, since it was going to have Ariel, Tinkerbell, Lion King, Cars, and (oh yeah!) Mikey and Friends. We said of course!
After the show timing worked out (and we were right next door) to go to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. I realized while we were Downtown that it had probably not been since my senior year that I'd been to the US Airways Center. Too long!
It was a fun show and outing. Super thanks to Mom and Dad for letting us all come with them.
Here's rare footage of my mom. Don't be alarmed by the coats and blankets. The weather outside is AMAZING, but we're going to a show ON ICE, so even us AZ folks can figure that out!
We went a little early because they had a "Meet the Princess" including Tiana from "The Princess and the Frog." I'm glad we went as early as we did, because the line was short when we got there, and not short when we were done. This isn't a great picture, but it was a mass of people and I'm just glad those are my kids in the pic!
Here we are, seats 2-16. Although noone showed up to take seat 1, so that's where the coats and stuff we didn't end up using went!
Adam enjoyed the show too, and lasted until near the end of the second act. Cassi didn't miss any of the show, she just stood in the portal entrance and he was fine.
Here are just a couple more pics from the show. I had fun playing with the flash off and took way too many pictures. Ahhhh, the blessing of digital!
Friday, January 1, 2010
I love Christmas time!
We had such a good Christmas this year, even with the uncertainty of not having a job. The holidays are just a special time. I made a decision a couple years ago that I wanted to always spend Christmas day in my own home. The kids are getting older and I wanted to make sure we have our own traditions. However, I love family at Christmas time and would not want to miss seeing all of them too! This year we had the best of it all! Christmas day we were in our home and enjoyed being our little family. Of course there were plenty of presents and the kids enjoyed it all. Santa even made it to our house and brought us a Wii. We enjoyed spending our morning playing as a family on the Wii. Then we had an extra Santa surprise with Wii rockband! Megan loves the drums and Katelyn loves the microphone...I should have guessed.
Christmas lunch was so much fun! We went to Chris' grandparents house and were completely surprised that the Utah family crowd were all there! We didn't expect them until Saturday, but they decided to do Christmas early in Utah and then come surprise us in AZ. It worked ! We were all very pleasantly surprised. We had another amazing spread of food and then enjoyed opening presents under grandma and grandpa's tree (Christmas take 2).
The party wasn't done there. We then traveled to Chris' parent's house for Christmas take 3. All of the kids opened their presents first. I don't know if I have ever seen so many presents under one tree, but I guess by the shear number of kids there are now in the family, it's just going to look like a lot. Once the kids were done, they were excused to the game room to watch a new movie so that the big kids could have their turn opening presents. We were all thoroughly spoiled this year. We then presented the Partridge parents with their present which was a home movie made by all the kids about our last Disneyland trip. These videos keep getting better and better. Chris works really hard on these with a lot of input from his siblings and they just improve each time. I think everyone enjoyed this one.
Saturday, we met again at Chris' parent's house for the kids gift exchange. Each year the siblings and spouses draw names and all the little kids draw names. When we arrived at the house, we found that the Christmas tree had been refilled. I guess it just didn't fit all the first time. :) So, I guess this is Christmas take 4. It was so fun to be able to spend the day with Chris' family. We thought the UT crew were travelling this day and that we wouldn't see them until late evening. What a fun surprise.
Sunday, my little family took the journey to my parent's house for Christmas. I have to admit, that that drive was not so fun. We left just after church and a normally 6 hour drive took us a little over 8 hours! We were stopped in Wikiup because of a car accident that involved a car fire. Next, Megan (who was probably starting to catch my cold) threw up just outside Chloride. Then it took us an hour and a half to go through the check point at the Hoover Dam. Wow. And to top it all off, the cold I mentioned was a huge head cold where not even medicine was helping me to breathe. It was so good to make it to my mom and dad's house! We had such a good vacation there. My sister and her kids were already there along with my Grandma McFarlane. It was so nice to be able to visit with them for the week.
Monday was our official Chesnik Christmas for family night. We first went to Josh and Kristin's for dinner and exchanged our gifts. This would be Christmas take 5. Kristin found the most adorable Sunday dresses for the girls that had a matching doll dress. The girls loved it! Also, Adam had the most handsome Sunday outfit with a vest and tie. Everyone matched! We then went back to my parents house that night for Christmas take 6, the final take. We are so blessed! Again, there were amazing gifts that everyone loved. Thank you family!!
Tuesday evening we took grandkids pictures for my parents. Everyone was in their new Sunday outfits provided by Kristin. We did have an appointment for a picture studio, but they cancelled on us. We decided with that many kids and so many small ones, we would just take our own pictures and I think they turned out really nice. Adam was having a rough night, so he screamed through most of them, but we even got a few of those without screams. There was a request made that my mom and dad take some pictures with the grandkids. Not my mom's favorite activity (it's up there with going to the dentist...nope, she might like the dentist more) but she was a good sport. In the end, we got a good new picture of just my parents. What a handsome couple!
My Christmas present to my parents was to paint their bedroom dresser. It doesn't sound like much but it was a huge deal for them. This is a dresser that was my dad's when he was a teenager that my parents have always had. It was green. Green, antiqued, green, old, and yes, green. I remember as a small child trying to paint some of it with my pink fingernail polish. That mark was still there. But, this dresser is now brown! I wish we had gotten a before and after photo. It was a lot of work, but completely worth it.
The rest of the week was spent visiting and relaxing. The cold that I started with moved to my kids. So, we spent most of the trip on medicine. In fact, one night I slept in the chair holding Adam so he could breathe better sitting up (me too!). Even with the rough colds, we enjoyed our Christmas time. Then the New Year started out right, with a drive back home that was uneventful and took a little under 6 hours! Happy New Year!
Christmas lunch was so much fun! We went to Chris' grandparents house and were completely surprised that the Utah family crowd were all there! We didn't expect them until Saturday, but they decided to do Christmas early in Utah and then come surprise us in AZ. It worked ! We were all very pleasantly surprised. We had another amazing spread of food and then enjoyed opening presents under grandma and grandpa's tree (Christmas take 2).
The party wasn't done there. We then traveled to Chris' parent's house for Christmas take 3. All of the kids opened their presents first. I don't know if I have ever seen so many presents under one tree, but I guess by the shear number of kids there are now in the family, it's just going to look like a lot. Once the kids were done, they were excused to the game room to watch a new movie so that the big kids could have their turn opening presents. We were all thoroughly spoiled this year. We then presented the Partridge parents with their present which was a home movie made by all the kids about our last Disneyland trip. These videos keep getting better and better. Chris works really hard on these with a lot of input from his siblings and they just improve each time. I think everyone enjoyed this one.
Saturday, we met again at Chris' parent's house for the kids gift exchange. Each year the siblings and spouses draw names and all the little kids draw names. When we arrived at the house, we found that the Christmas tree had been refilled. I guess it just didn't fit all the first time. :) So, I guess this is Christmas take 4. It was so fun to be able to spend the day with Chris' family. We thought the UT crew were travelling this day and that we wouldn't see them until late evening. What a fun surprise.
Sunday, my little family took the journey to my parent's house for Christmas. I have to admit, that that drive was not so fun. We left just after church and a normally 6 hour drive took us a little over 8 hours! We were stopped in Wikiup because of a car accident that involved a car fire. Next, Megan (who was probably starting to catch my cold) threw up just outside Chloride. Then it took us an hour and a half to go through the check point at the Hoover Dam. Wow. And to top it all off, the cold I mentioned was a huge head cold where not even medicine was helping me to breathe. It was so good to make it to my mom and dad's house! We had such a good vacation there. My sister and her kids were already there along with my Grandma McFarlane. It was so nice to be able to visit with them for the week.
Monday was our official Chesnik Christmas for family night. We first went to Josh and Kristin's for dinner and exchanged our gifts. This would be Christmas take 5. Kristin found the most adorable Sunday dresses for the girls that had a matching doll dress. The girls loved it! Also, Adam had the most handsome Sunday outfit with a vest and tie. Everyone matched! We then went back to my parents house that night for Christmas take 6, the final take. We are so blessed! Again, there were amazing gifts that everyone loved. Thank you family!!
Tuesday evening we took grandkids pictures for my parents. Everyone was in their new Sunday outfits provided by Kristin. We did have an appointment for a picture studio, but they cancelled on us. We decided with that many kids and so many small ones, we would just take our own pictures and I think they turned out really nice. Adam was having a rough night, so he screamed through most of them, but we even got a few of those without screams. There was a request made that my mom and dad take some pictures with the grandkids. Not my mom's favorite activity (it's up there with going to the dentist...nope, she might like the dentist more) but she was a good sport. In the end, we got a good new picture of just my parents. What a handsome couple!
My Christmas present to my parents was to paint their bedroom dresser. It doesn't sound like much but it was a huge deal for them. This is a dresser that was my dad's when he was a teenager that my parents have always had. It was green. Green, antiqued, green, old, and yes, green. I remember as a small child trying to paint some of it with my pink fingernail polish. That mark was still there. But, this dresser is now brown! I wish we had gotten a before and after photo. It was a lot of work, but completely worth it.
The rest of the week was spent visiting and relaxing. The cold that I started with moved to my kids. So, we spent most of the trip on medicine. In fact, one night I slept in the chair holding Adam so he could breathe better sitting up (me too!). Even with the rough colds, we enjoyed our Christmas time. Then the New Year started out right, with a drive back home that was uneventful and took a little under 6 hours! Happy New Year!
Here's our movie of the season. Apparently we were too busy chasing kids, so I have no pictures of the Partridge festivities...we still love you so much!
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