Sunday, December 25, 2005

Merry Christmas - I guess

Diane and I went to a movie - then got some sushi. This isn't the worst christmas ever, but it is up there in the top 2. Plus I have to work - things at work have been blowing up, and I'm spending all my holiday days working as well.
M-

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Too quiet

The boys took off to see their mother in Albuquerque for Christmas, and it is already too quiet around here. We did finally put up the christmas tree, but that was it. I hate looking at it this year - there were no presents under it until we got a package from my sister. The boys present from Diane and I was the tickets out to see their mother, and with finances tight we said we weren't getting each other anything. I've had to endure christmas without the kids before, but it was always up in MN with Diane's family before we were married. Now we don't even have that, just us two, alone.
M-

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Choose-Out Letter

One of the processes when a teen "chooses out" is they have to write a choose-out letter home - which we got today. In the letter Katie was fairly down on herself - I don't think you get nearly the good feeling you get graduating choosing out. We sent her our nametags from the seminar, and are hoping these might help to inspire her a bit. At home it just doesn't feel much like the holidays this year. We still haven't gotten the tree up, nor any decorations. With the boys going to be gone, it will be the first year without any family from either side for Diane and I, and we aren't looking forward to it.
M-

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Choosing Out

Well, a big disappointment. I talked to our family rep tonight for our bi-weekly call, and Katie "choose out" of her Orientation seminar this past weekend. For the kids, they don't fail the seminars - instead they put in an accountable framework - and they choose not to stay in the seminars. I guess she has another shot at it in February. They don't do any of the seminars over the holidays, so it bumps the bi-monthly schedule back a bit.
M-

Monday, December 05, 2005

Discovery Graduates

WOW!!!! again - WOW!!!! Well, we are Discovery graduates. I don't know fully how to describe this - it is simply amazing. The weekend was unbelievable. And now I feel fantastic. Tired, but pumped and excited. I really enjoyed the whole thing. Diane had some problems with some of the exercises, I feel that she got caught up on the mechanics, and missed the lesson. In some ways I so want to talk about everything we did - but that could spoil the experience for anyone else who might go through it. And the key for this is not the final lessons - but the experience. They call it experiential training - and it is a process, not an end point. We have signed up for Focus - the next seminar, in January, and I for one am very excited about it.
M-

Thursday, December 01, 2005

Discovery Tomorrow

We flew up to Chicago and then took a shuttle to our room. We have talked with a couple on the BBS about meeting for dinner, but we don't have any idea what they look like, when they will be in or anything. The hotel isn't all that great, but from the schedule it doesn't look like we will be spending much time in it anyway, so not a big deal. I am still a little bit bummed out about the timing of this weekend though. I had tickets to go see TransSiberian Orchestra on Sunday, and it still bothers me that I can't go this year. Katie has her orientation seminar this weekend as well - we are hoping she does well there.
M-