We had an eventful last couple of months in 2007. Had a wonderful time spending Thanksgiving in New York with my family and then (rushing back) for the last couple weeks of school. I made it through though. Received my masters degree in Systems Engineering! (So glad it is done!) We made some great friends in Charlottesville and really enjoyed our time there, however we are also glad to move on back to the Coast Guard and a new duty station and new home.
We spent Christmas in Charlottesville and then moved here to Arlington, VA in that time between Christmas and New Year's. That was a little interesting... We were fortunate to find a really awesome place to live. The house is quite huge (by area standards anyhow) and we are on a dead end street with a bike path at the end. Can't wait to have folks come visit! There is so much to do and see here. We've already hit the Natural History Museum and had fun on the Mall. Please come stay or just stop in to say hello!
My new job at Coast Guard Headquarters seems pretty good (I've been there one week). I'm working in the Office of Workforce Forecasting and Analysis. My billet here is for 3.5 years - so who knows what will happen next.
Mike has resumed his running and is training for his next marathon - Boston in April. Erin and Tim have both acclimated extremely well to their new schools (better than we could have hoped for!). Erin is in first grade and we found a preschool for Tim at a nearby church. Both programs seem very good. Timmy is looking forward to attending Kindergarten this fall. Ian and Sean are keeping Mike on his toes.(!) We'll try to start Ian at a county preschool this fall for a few days a week. Sean is still doing his seal-type crawl and has recently learned how to wave. Ian loves Sean so much you've really got to watch him! Poppy is still hanging in there and doing quite well despite showing her age a bit more. Porter is the only one who really misses out here - there isn't a ton of room for her to roam on her own, but she is enjoying spending time out front watching the goings-on from under a big azalea.
Hoping this finds you well and wishing you a healthy, exciting New Year!
Beth
