ET's Info-Stew

I haven't posted anything new in a while, so here is what's going on.

We've settled pretty well into our house, though we still do have a bunch of packed boxes lying around. The thunderstorms gave way to mild but fair fall weather around late September. Colorado usually sees some snow in late October, but this year we didn't get any. In November the snow accumulation is supposed to pick up even more and for a while it seemed like we weren't going to get much. But around the 14th we got a few inches. Then we didn't get anything for another couple weeks. This weekend we probably got a good 5 inches total accumulation. The roads were VERY icy and dangerous last night. I made Jenny drive because she needs the practice since she may be driving in those conditions frequently over the coming months. Today is a spectacularly clear day, which makes me wish I could go flying. I'll be posting some winter wonderland pictures soon.

Speaking of flying, I haven't gone at all since moving here, and I'm a little depressed about it. I've been studying to keep my knowledge fresh, but my skills have most likely deteriorated significantly. We have much less income and higher living expenses than we did when we lived in a one-bedroom apartment in California, so money is a little tighter. Still, all I need to do is get refreshed and checked out, and I can start flying again when the budget permits. I had a layover in Denver on a business trip this last February, with snow on the ground and unlimited visibility. Ever since then I had been looking forward to flying out here to see such gorgeous scenery. But my laziness has stopped me from doing it.

On the family front, Champ is doing great. He is healthy (we realize now how much overweight Lassen was) and spunky. He is house-trained for the most part, but he does still have accidents, particularly when we aren't paying attention. He likes to cuddle when he sleeps, and he still likes to play rough when he is awake. We got him fixed and he seems to have mellowed out a bit. We have a dog park within a few miles and we've taken him to it several times. He LOVES playing with and picking on much bigger dogs. He is very social and loves to play with little kids. We got lucky that he doesn't bark at people or other dogs. He does bark at strange noises, though. Also on the family front, Jenny and I are still trying. This would make it about 18 months of trying with no success. Both of us have been checked out by doctors. Jenny's results showed she has no problems. I may have some issues, but I need to get a retest to know one way or the other. I'm optimistic about this month. I've had two dreams of Jenny getting pregnant, and I've never had such dreams before, so maybe it means something.

Working from home has been pretty good for me. In order to prevent my co-workers and bosses from forgetting about me, which would be bad, I've forced myself to take on more challenging and higher visibility projects. Hopefully this translates into a promotion this year. I don't miss the commute, but I do miss having my co-workers right next door. They're a good bunch of folks.

I very much miss family. Kathy, Patti, and Timothy came out a few months back, but I had to leave on a business trip. Bill, David and Peter came out a couple weeks ago, and we had a good time with them. I wish I could afford to fly our families out to see us, but our funds are limited right now, and we need to save up for the new year expenses (taxes, insurance, etc.).

We have done a few tourist things since we've been here, mostly when others have visited. We've seen the Red Rocks Amphitheater, drove to the top of Pike's Peak, saw an airshow in Colorado Springs, went to a couple museums, baseball games, a football game, and Jenny went to the zoo and the Coors brewery. In early November we vacationed with Liz and Cy in Breckenridge for a weekend where we went skiing (briefly) and in general had a good time. Both of us really love it here and, though we do miss our families dearly, we do not regret moving one bit.

It'll try to post more often and add some pictures.