New job

After exactly 12 weeks, I am rejoining the workforce today! I've joined a company called Interthinx, a division of Verisk Analytics. Verisk is a public company with various divisions mostly around risk management and insurance, and Interthinx is a fast growing division that serves to the mortgage fraud and risk market. To start, I will be working mostly with a group they acquired a year ago in Santa Fe, NM that has analytic tools to help banks set their capital provisions. I will be a Director of Product Management from my remote home office in Denver, but expect some travel to NM in the beginning months. I am excited and hope this is the right place for me in the next many years to come.

In the end, the change was a blessing in disguise. As I got a 12-week paid "vacation" and ended up with a 9% higher salary. Although I must admit the 12-weeks was filled with emotional ups and downs of the job searching process. I am so glad that is over!

State of Colorado lucked out, since they never had to pay me unemployment (I had 12-weeks of severance), unlike my Californian laid off co-workers that got concurrent unemployment payouts during their severance (no wonder CA is bankrupt?). I got to finish many house projects. And during that time found and closed on a 2 bed/2 bath condo for my parents 1 mile away from our house. We are working on the final preparations before they move in this Wed.

Coincidentally, Bill is also starting his long awaited new position with DeusM (a division of CMP Media) today. Same company, but a deserved promotion and most importantly, a new supervisor! As he starts his new job, he will also be working from home. That will be interesting having both of us home. He will be using our office, and I am setting my office in our bedroom nook and see how that works out.

Weather in CO

Just as it started to feel like Spring/Summer, it got cold again with some light snow and rain! Here are two pictures Bill took last week from Boulder, just 24 hours apart.

Mother's Day

The weekend started with a lot of housework planned for the new condo. We scheduled one of the kid's teachers to come watch the kids for 4 hours (Ms. Sheri and her 15-yr old daughter Morgan). The kids love Ms. Sheri and Momo. Right after they got here, Audrey turned to me and said "Bye". So, off to Home Depot we went. It took us an hour and a half to buy all the stuff we needed, minus the shower door which we didn't find any to our liking at HD. The guy at HD said he got his at Lowes! We spent the rest of the time installing things at the condo (bathroom hardware, blinds, etc). We have a contractor coming this week for the bigger stuff.

We were so tired after we were done, that I didn't want to put my Dad and Bill through going to store for our Mother's Day lunch. Instead, we changed plans and decided to go to the Westin 5 minutes from our house for their Mother's Day brunch. They still had spots, but unfortunately only at 2 PM.

Mother's Day was lovely! The weather was just perfect. My Dad and Bill went to Lowes to order the shower door, and brought back some breakfast. We took the kids on an easy stroll across the street to have haircuts. Lunch at the Westin was delicious, and we stuffed ourselves. I think I had more dessert than savory food! The only down side of the day was my allergies. I only had the regular 24-hr Claritin and that doesn't work as well as Claritin D. I was congested with itchy eyes most of the day.

Once again we forgot to take pictures, but posting two pictures of the kids enjoying popsicles from a week back. How I love being their Mom!

Easter bunny ate my tulips

As it turns out, we did get a visit from the Easter bunny. It left little brown "eggs" in the backyard (not chocolate), and ate most of the tulip blossoms under one of the trees! The Easter bunny must have been very lucky, getting in our backyard and hanging out for lunch is not a small feat, since Sasha is normally vigilant. Sasha doesn't care about most other dogs or animals, with the exception of the bunnies and squirrels.

I think I good a picture of this bunny on Easter weekend hanging out around our house. At that point, I thought it was cute. Now I know, its tummy was full from my flowers!

And here are the tulips that the Easter bunny ate:

The tulips in the front yard and under the other tree are doing great.

Sasha guarding the yard (a little too late for these tulips):