OK, so not much has happened since July....

Not true. Since July, the last time I posted photos here (mea culpa!), Kaeli and I have had a whirlwind life. In July, a new VP was put in charge of the library at Grand Canyon University, who unfortunately did not know (and was not at all interested in learning) that a library actually put books in a particular order on the bookshelves, or had any value to a university or the world in general. I started looking for a new job immediately, and was thrilled to be offered and accept a wonderful position with the Tacoma Public Library system in Washington state.

Dad and I did a lightning-fast trip to Philadelphia - flew in and drove a rental truck back across country - to get the last of my things that were still in storage in West Chester. We had one terrific day with Doug Jr. in New York City and Jersey City to see where he now lives and works, and had a great trip across country back to Tacoma.

I began work at the Anna Lemon Wheelock branch as branch manager at the end of August. Most of our things from storage in Portland were moved up in two loads in September and November. I traveled home each weekend to Portland to see Kaeli and bring more things up in the car. Kaeli came up at the beginning of October to begin school at a Montessori pre-school, and NaiNai spent a week with us helping Kaeli get settled in. NaiNai and YeYe have come up to visit frequently since we've been here, and we go see them often also.

I love my new job - the branch is big, beautiful, and busy! The library is in a wonderful neighborhood of unique shops and restaurants, which have been fun to explore. I have a great team of 13 people reporting to me, and they all love the branch as much as I do. Our branch is one of two regional libraries in the TPL system, and often "out-circs" the Main branch downtown.

Kaeli and I are renting a Cape Cod style house about 10 blocks away, and are continuing to try to unpack and get things organized and weeded and put away. Kaeli has settled in to her new school, and loves the monkey bars and the huge outdoor play area. She is taking ballet classes there, and Mandarin will hopefully be offered soon.

I work Tuesdays through Saturdays, and until 8pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Kaeli has a wonderful University of Puget Sound student play with her on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, and a high school student spends Saturdays with her. My schedule is the only drawback of my new glorious job, but Kaeli and I are coping the best we can.

Laurie and Dave are only half-an-hour away now (in Olympia) and we get to see them quite frequently, when we aren't driving down to Portland to see YeYe and NaiNai. I'm looking forward to having all the boxes dealt with (some year!) and the house looking and feeling like a real home. Kaeli calls our new home her "Coma" house, and still lays claim to her "Portland house". She really misses YeYe and NaiNai, and I think the feeling is mutual.

Sorry for taking so long to update the blog, but as you can see we've been just a tad bit busy!

Kaeli bundled up for snow.

We had quite a bit of snow (for the Seattle/Tacoma area, that is!) this week. The library system was closed on Tuesday because of the snow and ice, and Kaeli and MaMa spent the day together. While MaMa re-arranged the garage to get the car in, Kaeli did "print-foot" art in the back yard.

Kaeli, Sog and Baby settling down for a pretend nap. Kaeli got everyone set up and tucked in, and MaMa discovered them like this in Kaeli's room.

This is the dress YeYe picked out and got for Kaeli all on his own at Hanna Andersson's.

Kaeli in her "pretty dress" and her new short "do", ready for our Thanksgiving dinner at Stanley & Seafort's restaurant in Tacoma. We had dinner there with NaiNai and YeYe, who came up to spend the week with us. We had a table right next to the huge windows looking out at Tacoma and the harbor, and had a delicious meal.

Kaeli and MaMa "working" together early one morning in the new "Coma" house.

Kaeli (with her new short hair) and YeYe getting ready to blow out the candles on YeYe's birthday cake.

Kaeli getting her beautiful long hair cut short - sob! We had many long talks and decided it was best to go short for awhile so Kaeli could be more serious about her "monkey bar" time and gymnastic moves and not have her hair get in her way. MaMa saved her ponytail, and hopes that Kaeli will later decide that it's time to grow her hair long again.

Nancy, Baby and Kaeli on the couch in Don and Anne's house. Kaeli loves visiting their house and watching the birds, ships, clouds, and deer. Nancy, Mom & Dad enjoyed more than a week there, while Kaeli and I were able to come up for two weekends, one with Laurie with us also.

Whenever Kaeli and Sog go out for a walk in the rain, Kaeli makes sure Sog is warm and dry, tucked safely inside her coat.

Kaeli showing off her gymnastic abilities.

Kaeli and Laurie modeling their footie pajamas at Don and Anne's house on Guemes Island in the San Juans.

Kaeli. "Sog", and Aunt Margie discussing the finer points of Play-doh sculpting. Aunt Margie flew in from Rochester to spend a week with NaiNai and YeYe in Portland, and they came up to Tacoma to visit us. As you can see in the background, we still had/have a lot of unpacking to do!

YeYe and Kaeli doing a Halloween pumpkin together in the kitchen of our new home. It turned out wonderfully!

Kaeli found a secret place of her own to seek peace and solitude in the surrounding chaos of unpacking.

Kaeli helping put an IKEA bookshelf together in our new "Coma" house.

Kaeli in one of her "pretty dresses" on the way out to dinner.

Dad & Doug Jr. waiting for the ferry from Jersey City to New York City. Dad and I flew to Philadelphia in August and took one day to visit Doug at his new job in NYC and had a great time seeing where he lives and works now. Then Dad and I loaded up a rental truck (with major help from Marcy!) with the last of my stuff in storage in PA, and then headed west. We spent an afternoon with our Amish friends, the Lapps, and then pointed the truck towards Tacoma, Washington. We had a terrific trip across country, and got to see the wildfires up close and personal in eastern Washington.

Don't touch my corn!

This girl takes her sweet corn eating seriously!!! I think she had been in the wading pool just before dinner, which hopefully explains her hair-do! The second photo is Kaeli with a cucumber from her and YeYe's garden.