January 25 – so much activity and change….

Just starting the second week of the new job. Lots of new stuff. Many webinars and webex meetings. I love it. Equipment is here and appears to be working fine. Connected with the new boss. She seems very nice. A former TravelCLICK employee. We had met before, but are pretty much acquaintences. Ironically Natalie brought us together. Can’t believe how over the last 10 years the people I’ve met and worked with have been key in situations as time has passed. It’s all good. It reminds me NEVER to burn a bridge if it can be helped. Hopefully the good job trend will continue. It feels so good to start new things. Really using my mind and learning. Getting the office together too. I’m really happy for that too. Tax time is around the corner, so we need to get organized anyway. Hopefully the numbers will work in our favor.

Received a notice of delinquency from the child support division. I know, I know…Happy New Year to me, right? Gotta love former spouses. What a jackass he is!

My mom also came to us in the last few weeks and let us know she actually wants to have her own life! She has done so much for us. But yeah, she totally deserves to live her life. She’s been doing for us and everyone else since my dad’s death in October of 2007. I’m proud of her strength. I’m proud of her toughness. We’ll be fine…more than fine. She’s got many, many years to live and should be happy, happy, happy. Everyone does.

So the first thing I did was put an ad out on Craigslist. I received over 10 responses in the first 24 hours and I posted the ad at 10p. Brandi was the first to answer. I immediately felt good things about it. She came over on Monday afternoon, and then we decided her first day would be 1/25/10. Unfortunately she got sick and I sort went into a panic. Really there was no need for it. She came and began her first full week on 2/1/10.

New Years and more – 2010…so far so good!

New Year’s was really nice. Very quiet. We stayed home and watched on TV. It seemed like it took forever for the West Coast get the festivities. CNN was hilarious with Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin. So we quietly watched that. Hortons called and talked for quite awhile. Finally we saw Dick Clark’s Rockin’ Eve. Didn’t start until 10p. So sad to have to wait so late. What’s up with the tape delay? Anyway, we did ring in the New Year (barely) at midnight. All of us were tired. Fred and Celia were with us. We had a toast and hugs and kisses and then off to bed we went!

There’s a new job for me this year too! On Monday, January 4 I had a phone interview with Synxis and got an offer the next day! I

Christmas 2009 Letter and Family Picture

Here’s our letter this year…I’ll be the first to admit it’s not fabulously positive, but it’s our life.

Happy Holidays 2009

Hello to all of our friends and family! As 2009 comes to a close and Christmas seems upon us, I am still wondering where the year went. Reflecting back it seems that like many families, this year has been a challenging one for us. I’d like to think that it’s very temporary and it will only get better in 2010. I’m hoping for that, but am happy that just around the corner is a new opportunity for things to be a little better. That’s our wish for all the people that touch our lives.

On to the news in 2009…The holidays were really nice and we had our Colvins here to celebrate with us and ring in the New Year. My mom had the opportunity to go home to Winnemucca for awhile to have a bit of time for herself and well, truth be told, have a little bit of her own life. Kaitlyn and Gillian were with us too, so our whole family enjoyed Christmas together. We just didn’t know that 2009 would be as challenging as 2008…

Into January and February we went with the boys just growing and growing and the girls coming to Reno from Vegas two weekends a month. The arrangement was hard on all of us. All of us were hoping that March would bring some good news from the family court in Vegas. As I finish this piece of our letter, please try and understand our bitterness. We learned in March that Kaitlyn and Gillian would primarily remain in Vegas. Our time was cut to one 3 day weekend a month, Spring Break, ½ of the holiday break and 5 weeks in the summer. I am forced to pay child support after my ex-husband didn’t for 5 ½ years. I also will be paying – Chip will be paying – for health insurance for the girls that their dad didn’t provide either. We are also responsible for all travel expenses.

We found the court to be incredibly one sided. It was amazing to watch my ex husband lie and lie about so many things. I had no idea that he was capable of such cruelty to me and my family. All of this is probably more information than necessary, but the emotion and impact is still pretty raw. The other important piece of this is that we had so much support from so many people behind us. We appreciate all of the support and willingness to help. A few of you joined us in court and wrote letters and that means the world to us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. This situation has weighed very heavy on us both emotionally and financially. We honestly thought we did the right thing by moving to Reno and finding a better place to raise children. Apparently not. We also had a woman judge. I found that to be interesting that we lost out so badly considering the judge is a mother as well. I didn’t expect to win by a landslide, only to have the girls be primarily with us.

As a result, we’ve felt the financial pinch the entire year, just as did many people have. Please know you’re not alone. The legal fees, supporting several mortgages on properties we have not been able to sell and the upkeep on those properties has taken us to the edge more than once. Hopefully, now that we have new tenants all will be better. We’re hanging on in the real estate arena. Anybody want to buy a couple of houses in Vegas? Both Chip and I are incredibly grateful to be employed, which has enabled us to keep pressing forward in the dark days this year has brought us. Thankfully, because of that we haven’t lost any of the houses. Again, we appreciate all the support we’ve had from our Vegas friends that have shown houses, unlocked doors and made trips over to the houses to help us. With damaged and/or empty property it isn’t easy to navigate. We could not have done it without the help of a key group of people. Your generosity is appreciated and won’t soon be forgotten.

Mom went to Alaska in February to visit a close friend who is terminally ill. Colvins came back to help. I don’t know what we’d do if we didn’t have all of the support that we have. Again, words cannot express how much we appreciate our “village” that it takes to make our life work. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

The summer brought the girls back for five weeks. What a visit it was! Kaitlyn arrived with the swine flu. All of us in the house did our doses of Tamiflu to fight it. Luckily no one else was ill. It wiped out a week of our visit, which was incredibly frustrating. After Kaitlyn made it through, we made a long list of things we wanted to do before they had to head back to Vegas for school. We did so much and had a blast! From floating down the Truckee River to Tahoe beaches, it was wonderful to experience our area. The girls and I also spent a day in Virginia City. What great memories we created. Those are the ones you want to bottle up and keep right in the front of your mind forever.

Kaitlyn and Gillian started school in August (8th grade and 5th grade). Both are doing great. Both are involved in Karate here in Reno and gymnastics down in Vegas. Kaitlyn is in journalism this year and loves it. Gillian is into books and is finishing out Elementary school. Makes me wonder where the time goes. Both are active in Girl Scouts as well. We’re more than proud of them. Now they’re frequent fliers too. They handle it very well considering all the circumstances. Thank goodness for Southwest Airlines!

Another unfortunate twist with the ex husband for us. We learned that he had been downloading photos and some legal documents from our server. Immediately we involved the police and they confiscated 1 of his 5 computers. We’ve just learned recently that although this is not a good thing, it’s not bad enough to have enough to prosecute. Another legal system disappointment. We feel pretty violated but it doesn’t appear that we can do much.

Meanwhile our little guys turned two in September. We celebrated big with ice cream and gifts. The girls were with us to celebrate the big birthday, which was wonderful! They are just talking and expressing themselves so much. Gary is just in love with books and is Mr. Snuggly and is probably the most sensitive. He’s also the “silent bully” and will take one of the other boys down silently while they scream their head off. Ben is more reserved, loves his DVD of shapes and playing with cars. Ben tends to be the quietest. He’s been the latest to talk, but is quickly catching up! Ryan is the most vocal and very particular about his clothing. He likes red and stripes. It’s very funny. He also wants to have the “red cup”. All three boys know their shapes and letters. It’s amazing to watch them learn so much and suck it up like a sponge. Each child is so very different and wonderful. We’ve been so blessed for sure. It’s pretty noisy and chaotic in the house. All three are talking constantly. I think they’ll eat us out of house and home here pretty soon. We’re taking donations…just kidding.

Another bit of news came out way in October, on Chip’s birthday in fact. We’ve kept it quiet until about the last month. Surprisingly to all of us we are expecting! Yep, really. Our LAST child will be born in June 2010. It has taken quite awhile for it to sink in for us. I just wasn’t feeling good and took a test, then another and then a blood test. Yep, nature has taken it’s course. Odd since it was almost 3 years and many painful and disappointing tries before we had success with the little boys. We’re not sure why this has come our way, but here we are. We’re starting again, as I’ve given away stuff as the boys outgrew it. The best part is that it’s just a single so it should be easier. The morning sickness has passes, but I am tired ALL THE TIME. It’s been interesting and fun to watch people react to the news. Like us, many are surprised. It’s all good now, but it took about a month for me realize it really is true. This will be it for us. 6 is plenty. J

Meanwhile, Chip is working at home for Quest Software and that is going well. It’s been about a year and although the company has laid people off, Chip is full of talent and is valuable to the company. Hopefully all will continue on a great path. I’m still at the Nugget Casino and my job still has its challenges. It’s definitely a process. I’ve excelled in my job in the 1½ years I’ve been there. The Nugget has also laid people off in almost all areas. Just like all of the other casinos in the nation, gaming revenues and room rates are down. Not good, but the reality of the economy. Everyone in the Northern Nevada area seems to trim down accordingly. Hopefully it will turn around.

We are hanging in and hanging on for whatever 2010 brings. There is so much to be thankful for…the visits we’ve had over the year form Hortons, The Hollenbecks, visiting with local family on occasion and keeping in touch with Vegas friends. Please forgive me if I’ve forgotten anyone. Our heartfelt thanks and so much love to Fred & Celia and our ‘Nina ‘Nina for their willingness to spend any free moment with the McVeys and making it look simple each morning as I walk out the door and someone is either wailing or demanding their bacon. My mother is a huge help and is vital to our day to day operation. We can’t thank her enough for the loads of laundry, helping with dinner and watching the boys. She makes it look easy too. Some days I wonder why I’m so worn out when I see how well our support system makes it work for us. All of us have felt the stress of the business of life this year but have an amazing group that never hesitates to help. We thank you all by adding one more!

It’s our hope and wish that all is well with you and yours and that the joy of the season is in your lives. Happy Holidays! We look forward prosperous 2010 for our family and yours. Please know that you’re always welcome to visit. Feel free to drop a note if that work better. Both Chip and I are also ALWAYS updating Facebook with photos and statuses. You can search our names to find out. We can be reached by phone at 775-545-1241 or email at sherri@metaforge.net


Christmas 2009 and Kaitlyn’s 14th Birthday

This year has just been crazy! Despite the snowstorms, Kaitlyn came in the night of 12/18. I was a little worried since the fog had been so bad. I love that the snow has hung around. From then on it was fast and furious! The girls went shopping on the 19th with Celia and Fred.

Then they started the cookie baking. I tried to stay out of the way because it isn’t my favorite thing to do. Celia is amazing with all that! She made like 7 different cookies plus her “crack” of course. It wouldn’t be Christmas without it. 🙂 The girls jumped right in and did cut outs and Spritz and many others. Celia has amazing patience. Before and after their baking I made Chex mix. Then more Chex mix…four batches worth. I enjoy doing that, but not the cookie stuff. I also did some holiday bark with dried cranberries, pretzels, nuts and white chocolate. Batch 1 was OK, but batch 2 rocked! Anyway, back to the girls and their endeavors…

Gillian had done some “Advent” candy calendars too that came out really good with candy kisses, star paper boxes and yarn. Really fun! The girls also did candy bar trains. They had a blast doing that. Very creative. It was really cool.

I was desperately trying to get my Christmas cards out, pictures done and sorted and all of that. Wow…I wonder where the time goes. I know…we have lots of kids and a busy life! Along with that I wanted to get our yearly letter done. This year it seems that it was more negative than positive. Life is life though and hopefully we have great support and people care about our struggles and our successes. In the days since mailing them I have had some regrets about our honesty. I’ll post the letter and the pic on this blog. Anyone who reads this, I hope you understand that we ARE grateful and blessed, but struggle like everyone else. I’m not sure where it comes from, but I also wanted to get my cookbook 2.0 project done. Did not happen. I’m barely started. It’s still mostly a firm image in my mind. Hmmm, let me see…5 kids, full time job, holiday time and oh yeah growing a baby.

Kristy and Tiffany also came into town and stayed the night with us to shop. Many feelings about that, but that’s another story for another day.

December 23 brought our Christmas celebration. We started the day…another busy one of course…with me doing some lab work for baby stuff and doing some last minute shopping. I came home and the girls were showered and eager to open their gifts. It was really neat to see their excitement. They also requested Celia’s AMAZING corned beef recipe. This meal just will knock your socks off. If it doesn’t, there’s something wrong with you! Kaitlyn’s big gift was the InStyler and Gillian got a new bike. She’s going to be set until adulthood with the bike. It was really great to see the delight and fun happen. The boys opened their stuff from the girls and Christina. They really were getting into the opening of the gifts part. It was a really fun evening.

December 24 was fast and furious as well. We celebrated Kaitlyn’s 14th birthday. She picked her cake and it was DELISH! It was Chocolate Cherry Cake. OH MY! What a keeper. Basically, you mix in a can of cherry pie filling with a Devils Food Cake Mix. We frosted it with milk chocolate frosting and some festive sprinkles. Kaitlyn’s gifts were mostly clothes, but also itunes gift card and some earrings. I can’t believe she’s 14 already! Despite her being a true teenager, she is a good kid and I’m really proud of her. After the quick celebrations, we were off to the airport for the delayed flight. The girls were up and out about 3o min. later than planned. Not too bad for still having snow in Reno. Next year they will be here for Christmas day and I can’t wait.

Christmas day came before we knew it. The little boy’s faces were filled with shock and awe when they discovered that Santa left them a train table and easel in their play area. From then on the morning was pretty crazy. Once the little guys found something, it was tough for them to move on to something else. It was stimulation overload for sure. We kept prompting them to open more things, but it took quite awhile. Hortons gave the little guys lots of new books. Colvins brought clothes and a toy mailbox and scribble box. They loved it! Grammy McVey sent Thomas stuff and the boys popped the hats right on. Grandma gave them a tent with a tunnel that they absolutely love! It was a good Christmas for the little guys. They didn’t really realize the whole santa part but they sure loved the presents. Gary was onto the unwrapping part right away. It was super cute to watch. We attempted to lay the little guys down at normal time, but the day was just too much for them. They barely ate anything and oh by, by bedtime it was mayhem here. They had a great time, but sensory overload was clear. Especially for Ryan. He and the other boys fought pretty intensely over the Leapster 2. That game is a little advanced for them but every day they seem to be figuring it out a little more.

After the boys went up for their nap, Fred, Celia, Chip and I quietly opened out gifts. Chip came away with a new bike, which he direly needed. His poor bike that he had since college was pretty beat up. I was so happy to get more memory for my laptop. I was ready to throw this Mac out the window. Now it’s running like a champ! I was really happy. Chip and I gave each other a new TV and BlueRay for our bedroom. We have it hooked up, but no cable yet. We may switch from DirecTV. We’ll see.

Fred is into coins and Chip is really getting into it too, so Fred and Chip had a moment when Chip gave Fred a cool Austrialian coin. It was neat to see. We really enjoyed exchanging our gifts. It is always weird not to have the girls with their excitement with us, but our gift opening has its own positive vibe.

Celia did almost the entire dinner which was delicious. We had Prime Rib. Chip made his green bean casserole, which totally rocks. I made the meat, which was super easy to follow the directions and preseasoned from Costco. Super good.

December 2009 – Before Christmas

December has come full on. Fred came in on December 2 and Celia followed 5 days later. Mom went home to enjoy time off. Chip got busy right away putting up Christmas lights. It was pretty cold outside and he was definitely a trooper for his cranky pregnant wife.

Went to Las Vegas for HSMAI, HEDNA and the Expedia Partner Conference the first week in December. It was busy but good. Had dinner with Deann, saw Jenni and did a little Christmas shopping in the evening. Stayed at Palms Place. Also had dinner one evening with Bonnie. Tried to get Kaitlyn several times, but was put on ignore. I guess it’s her age, but it was offensive and finally I told her in no uncertain terms that it was unacceptable. We had dinner Thursday night (Dec. 10), went on to the Expedia party after that and I flew home on Dec. 11. I saw so many people at the Expedia event that I hadn’t seen for years. It was really nice to have the opportunity to talk to everyone. I learned a ton of stuff about social media and online travel trends. It’s really stimulating for my brain and I love it! So much to learn, so little time.

I also checked on the house while in Vegas. Lawn issues of course. Freddie needs to just take care of Sweet Jewel. Oh yeah, after I got home I learned that the faucet is broken and that it’s $300 to fix. Crazy. Brittany and her family moved in fine and all was good otherwise.

We had a snowstorm on the way out of Reno and down to Vegas. Very cold and about 5 inches of snow. It was beautiful to see, but not great travel weather. It took almost 1/2 a day to get to Vegas. Between de-icing and plowing, it was an interesting morning trying to get South. Coming back was a little hairy too. It’s snowed a bit more since then. I love it, but people are crazy when it snows. Here it is the 23rd and the snow is still here. Nothing wrong with that. Boy it’s cold outside!

Gillian has been with us since Thanksgiving and going to Karate. Everything is good and she’s been doing a great job of enjoying all that we have to offer. The little boys just love their “gill gill”.

The boys are just talking up a storm. Ben had his first true haircut on Sunday (Dec. 20). He looks like such a little boy! He can also say “I cannot beweeve it” like the Little Einsteins. Celia told me about it and then I heard him say it. Oh my god! It was SO cute. He’s talking so much more lately.

Ryan is just going to town repeating and saying short sentences. It’s really cool to hear him say “Daddy do it” and “I see you”.

Thanksgiving 2009 and family Christmas pictures…oh my!

Very good holiday, moved by WAY too quickly. All four Hortons joined us this year for Thanksgiving. That in itself brought much to be thankful for. Mom is here too, which is great. There were so many years that we didn’t spend the holiday together. I wish I could get them back. Since we can’t I can only hope for many more family filled holidays.

Chip pulled the turkey out on Monday to thaw in garage. It certainly has been chilly enough. The hum of the holiday is starting to pick up which is nice.

Hortons arrived late Tuesday. We stayed up too late right away. Before they came in we actually hung up a bunch of pictures on the wall. It actually feels like we live here after almost a year and a half. Wednesday was fairly uneventful at work. Slow day, but managed to hang in. I’m still fighting tired and morning sickness. I’m never sure whether to eat or just wait it out. It is SO not fun. I’ve tried both. It’s bad to eat bad stuff, it’s worse not to eat at all…right?

Thursday morning the girls came in to join us for the holiday. It had been about a month since I had seen them last. It’s always so wonderful to have them come out of the airport. Gillian will be staying until Christmas Eve. Kaitlyn went back today, but will be back the week before Christmas.

Chris and Keith had asked if we wanted to get together for a softball game. So all of us jumped in the car and headed to Joyce’s. The boys were overwhelmed, but it was good. They loved Joyce’s new dog and kennel. Forget the toys, bring on a dog kennel! So we all hopped in the car and headed to a middle school and had a wonderful afternoon. Mom and Joyce had the dogs and watched. Well Joyce gave it one try and knocked it out! Danny and I watched the boys and the rest of us played softball. It was really, really a great afternoon. The boys really enjoyed themselves just running around. No nap and completely out of whack for them, but they seem to just go with the flow. A little crabby in the car and all three fell asleep.

We came home and finished up dinner. This year seemed effortless compared to other years. Cooked the turkey for the first time in my new roaster. Turkey (as warned in the instructions) did not turn brown. Looked a little odd, but it was the most tender turkey I’ve ever eaten. We all agree that the roaster wins, hands down. The additional bonus is that the oven is free to cook other stuff. Mom made an amazing apple pie. She did the lattice top and everything. Beautiful and yummy! We had a delightful meal. Great family with really good conversation. Moments that are special and memorable. I love those kinds of days. I was dragging with morning sickness and just plain tired. Made it through though.

On Friday I had to work…casinos have the worst benefit plan on the planet. Nothing going on and lucky for me my boss is really cool and I came in late and out of the office early. I was thankful to get home early and be at home with the rest of the crew. We watched Four Christmases, which was pretty cute.

Mom had a great idea to head to a craft fair at the convention center so me, mom, Bunny, Gillian, Kaitlyn and Danny loaded up in the minivan and headed to town. The craft fair was pretty weak but had great deals. Mom and I talked to the vendors quite a bit. Great to meet the locals and just talk about all kinds of stuff. I bought a couple of things. Bunny found quite a bit.

Sunday came much too quickly. It was quite a morning. Hortons were getting ready to depart and we were getting the boys and the rest of us ready for a family pic. Now call me crazy, but I really wanted to get a professional family picture with the whole family. That includes 3, yes 3, two year olds. Oh my god, I had no idea just how crazy it would be. Ben wanted nothing to do with being held in any way shape or form. He was just not having it. No one wanted to be confined. Finally they starting taking pictures. The best one we could get of all of us had a big yellow duck in the picture and Ben was crying. It was such a calamity of errors that I finally pretty much gave up. They took well over 100 photos. Girls together, boys playing, Chip and I, all of us…it was a true experience. A 20 minute appointment took and well over an hour. Finally I had to leave because we had to get the boys down for a nap. I did go back right away. Of course like the session trying to get pictures, buying them was no picnic either. They advertise a discount but of course there were so many limitations that it was nearly impossible to get. Eventually all came around and we left after we lightened our cash load by $200. Yep, $200. They will only be two once and it was so good to get the girls and us in various pictures. Well worth it. Time was pushed to the limit on Sunday. I buzzed home and grabbed Kaitlyn and took her to the airport to go back to Vegas. Phew! Every day is like this though. Moving from one thing to another. Some days are better than others.

November cont’d

More in November…

Work continues to be tense. A person I don’t particularly trust has come into my end of the sales department. Originally going to report to me but then that was pulled back. Now there is clear “marking of the territory” by this person. Don’t trust her farther than I can see her. Lots of poking around to see what it is I do. I have much hesitation about her when I take leave for maternity.

I still am not loving my job, another serious run in with the marketing department. Verbal attacks by the PR person. Caught VERY off guard. Defended myself, but we’ll see what happens. PR guy goes on vacation and his boss attempts a private apology. I’m very proud I stood up for myself and my skillset. May not matter though. This particular company may not be ready to take on a social media strategy. It’s frustrating.

Lots of morning sickness. I’m very tired all the time. It’s hard to keep up with the basics both at work and home. Thank goodness for the help and support from Chip, mom and the people in sales that actually believe in what we can do.

The boys are still growing like crazy. They are putting together 2 and 3 word sentences. Its just been in the last couple of weeks that they are all saying “I see you” and “I want…”. Ben is still the quietest, but he’s an observer. He does, however, do a much better job of sticking up for himself. He loves to jump on the sofa. They all do, but it’s Ben’s deal to start it.

Ryan is still the most vocal. He repeats EVERYTHING. He’s very particular too. Loves red clothes, especially if it has stripes. If he can’t be in control he freaks out in the morning. He says “Ry Ry’s ….” for whatever he has, wants or thinks is his. He does a wonderful job of trying to trade with his brothers when they have something he wants. It’s so interesting to watch them. Ry also loves the book “Ham” (Green Eggs and Ham). He flips the pages and then on Ryan’s timeline it becomes AH DONE. Ryan is strong willed and spends the most time in time out, but does well with it most of the time. He truly misses his ‘Nina Nina since she left us. Every girl in a magazine is ‘Nina. He asks “Where’s my ‘Nina?”. Super cute, but it makes me want to force her to come back.

Gary is super funny with his silent takedowns. When he’s getting picked on or pushed, he steps back and then gets back up for another round. It’s very funny to watch. Then he’ll basically tackle Ryan but not say a word. Ryan of course starts wailing, but Gary just doesn’t let up. Gary is still the most emotional too. His feelings are easily hurt and he likes to snuggle. It’s very sweet that Christina taught him how to eskimo kiss when she was here.

All the boys eat bacon and eggs like CRAZY. They can put down almost a pound of bacon. It’s insane. We’ll be seriously broke soon thanks to the boys eating. It’s all good, but we still crack up on a daily basis. We’re seriously worn out every single day…

Jeff got laid off from Les Schwab and lucky for Kristy and Jeff, she got a job at Khoury’s Market in Winnemucca. Hopefully things will get better. The last month has not been kind to them with losing out on a refinance and repossession. Makes me worry.

I’m still very restless and would love to do some consulting along with my job. So much to do so little time. Looking forward to Thanksgiving. Kristy and Jeff will be missed, but we’re happy to be hanging with mom and the Hortons.