All Over But the Crying

We moved here almost three years ago, so it seems about right that we have another life change now. Rob gave notice yesterday at the firm and accepted a corporate counsel position with a large company in San Diego.

This is something we have been thinking about for a while. With the available work dwindling at work and billable hours dropping dramatically, we felt like it was time to start looking around. Although the firm has been a great place, everything in his department was slow, and even though there was never an obvious threat  of layoffs, we knew that they wouldn’t continue forever paying his salary when his billing was so low. After all, it is business.

There are not a lot of choices for in-house positions, and the competition for each position is only growing. So as much as I wanted to focus our search to only Orange County it just wasn’t possible.  The plan for now is to have Rob commute to San Diego while we figure out when and if to move our family. I think he is more set on finding a new home in north SD county, but I am still in denial and hoping that the commute and hours will work for us to stay where we are.

With the decision made and notice given I feel relieved to be done worrying about if the axe might fall. So now I teeter between gratitude for a great job (which are hard to come by these days), and sadness that it will likely mean uprooting and starting over.

UPDATE: Part of the offer package we received today requires that we move down to North San Diego County within a month. I am not happy about it at all, and it makes me nervous that they want him to be so close so quickly, but it is a great job and one that we know he should take. So if you know anything about the area, please let me know your opinions. Thanks!

Tradition and Topol

Last night Rob and I went to opening night of Fiddler on the Roof starring Topol! We saw an advertisement in the mall several weeks ago, and were surprised to see that he was still doing the role on stage.  Rob went online and got tickets for us later that day. He and I both love the film, and I remember even liking it as a kid because of the fantastic music. After a little reading I learned that Topol was just 30 years old when he appeared in the film and has played the part of Tevye on stage on and off for the last 40 years! He estimates that he has performed it more than 2500 times, and this is his farewell tour. There is just one more stop on the tour, so if you get a chance to see it, jump for it!

It really was an amazing experience to watch Topol as Tevye. He has such a wonderful voice both when he is speaking and singing, and even though we couldn’t really see facial expressions from our second-row-from-the-back-seats, we could really feel the emotion and personality of his character. And of course the rest of the cast was fantastic as well. It was, I think, the only time Rob has ever, and will ever, voluntarily sit for a three hour performance and not get fidgety. Afterwards, we topped off this unforgettable night with a stop at the Wienerschnitzel-Tastee Freeze and picked up some ice cream. When we do a night out, we go classy all the way.

Name Dropper

Rob has done a lot of research on ancestry.com and recently discovered a feature that shows famous people you are related to. Here is the list for me. I’m most excited about Jane Austen who’s books I never tire of. (See, now I’m even talking like her) Knowing I have a small percentage of these people in my DNA makes me feel a little more relevant and part of something big. So excuse me, while I brag a little about my relatives…

Artists:

Walt Disney (1901-1966)
American Animator
Walter Elias Disney is the famous creator of Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney World, and Disneyland. He produced, directed, and animated his many motion pictures. His first full length animated picture was Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.
Relationship: 5th Cousin 4 times removed

Charles Stratton (1838-1883)
Circus Performer
General Tom Thumb (born Charles Stratton) was taught to sing, dance, and act by circus pioneer P.T. Barnum. His small frame and many talents made him famous around the world.
Relationship: 6th Cousin 5 times removed

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959)
American Architect
Frank Lloyd Wright was an influential American architect. Pioneering the prairie style house and designing the Guggenheim Museum in New York are two of his most famous accomplishments.
Relationship: 7th Cousin 5 times removed

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
American Painter
Norman Rockwell is known for his illustrations on the covers of The Saturday Evening Post. His work most often portrays the idealized American lifestyle. During his lifetime he produced over 2000 original works.
Relationship: 8th Cousin 3 times removed

Click below for more of my exciting relatives!

Guess What I Am?

I finally got my photo gallery caught up through May, and came across some fun things that I haven’t shared. One of them is the game Guess What I Am. It really is “hilarious fun for everyone.” We love this game because even Sabrina can play along without having to team up with Mommy or Daddy, and we can play it really quickly in just one round when we’re short for time, or do several rounds and make it a full game. It gets you thinking and sorting in your mind because you are trying to figure out which person or animal you are by only asking questions, but it doesn’t feel like learning because it’s so fun. We all highly recommend this game!

40 Years Ago Right Now

We Choose the Moon: Command Service Module Separates.

Go here to see and hear what was happening with the Apollo 11 on that historic mission to the moon.

Not Another Summary

Hunter finishes his first full week in “pageant” in about 15 minutes. Hooray for a week off!

Emma and Hunter have been zipping through the “Harry Potter” series. With the movie coming out this week, they have become obsessed with catching up to it. In spite of the fact that it’s rated PG 13 so they have to wait for Mom and Dad to see it first… although if they have read the book, the movie is the same stuff huh? Don’t know how that will go yet…

Hannah and Sabrina are taking a weekly ballet/tap class together. Hannah loved the first class, and Sabrina did most things. She only refused one excercise that involved leaping and then having the class applaud the effort. She didn’t want any part of that spotlight.

We have been keeping busy with trips to the park or the pool, reading, Wednesday lunchtime with Daddy, playing around the house, a discount showing of “The Tale of Despereaux,” and cleaning up! The latest strategy for this is “five minute flips” where we pick three areas or rooms that need cleaning up and make those our stations. We split into three teams and each rotate through the stations every five minutes. I set the timer and everyone works on their area for five minutes. This seems to work because they can focus their attention for that length of time pretty well, and know that they don’t have to do it all, just keep going until they hear the buzzer.  We do the rotations until it’s clean, so the better they work, the sooner we’re done. I’m not sure if it will work for the whole summer, but for now our house is cleaner than it ever was during school. That’s nice.

I’m still having fun adding to my Mia Maids’ blog and taught a class today on testimony that seemed to go pretty well. I’m also way behind on the photo gallery for this blog, but one day I’ll get back on top of that.I would like to participate in Craft Hope like my sisters-in-law, but the deadline is fast approaching.

Rob has decided to start learning Greek. He has been reading a lot of history on the Bible, and figured it would help him to be able to go back and read some of the Greek text. I know, “Whaa?” But I have to say I’m jealous of his ability to find things like that so interesting that he can read about it for any length of time without falling asleep.

Tomorrow Hunter starts a week of basketball camp, and Emma starts an acting class. Then we’ll do more pageant, swimming lessons, and a family reunion in August. I’m not sure why I have so much packed into summer. Maybe it’s because I don’t want it to become a chorus of “I’m bored” around here, and once school starts again, they’ll feel like it’s a breeze. We’ll see how well this strategy plays out.