I had a really great Mother's Day. No breakfast in bed (sleeping in preferred), but a delicious dinner prepared by David. Steak cooked on the grill with crab legs, shrimp salad, asparagus and chocolate cake for desert. Mmmm good!! Plus I received two bouquets of flowers, not to mention a hand made card from Primary (thanks Matt and Chris), and a candy bar from the Bishopric. Plus, David bought me a lovely necklace that I wanted from the Fort Worth Main Street Arts Fair that we visited with my parents a few weeks ago. And, to top all of that, we got a new refrigerator!! It was delivered today and now sits gleaming full of food and with all of our magnets on the front in our kitchen. Quite the Mother's Day, I tell you.
I also got to listen to Sara and Mike on the phone. I say listen, because I still can't talk. Sara is doing well but has tons of reading to do in her two English classes. She has still managed to go rock climbing with Derek and go to a baseball game with Jeff in the past week. Mike got a job doing design work for a local bank in Rexburg. It is part time and may keep them in Rexburg through the end of July--otherwise they would be able to leave the end of June after he turns in his BFA project. We will see how that develops.
Chris had a blast in Hawaii, maybe he will take a few minutes to fill us all in on his blog. He has started his marathon study for the CFA exam today and may not have a spare minute until it is over June 7. He has a lot to cover between now and then. Matt is keeping busy working the early shift at the gym and sleeping and playing video games on the huge mega screen TV he is borrowing from Ryan.
I went to a specialist today about my voice. Apparently my vocal cords are not closing all the way when I talk. The right one is slightly swollen and a little red. This is likley a response to the bronchitis I had in mid April. He wants me to try a stronger and longer dose of steroids and see if that won't get things back on track. If in two weeks I am not better, he will go in with a scope for a closer look. The good news is that there are no nodules or creepy things growing on my vocal cords, so hopefully these drugs will work and I'll be back in good working order soon. 33 without a voice and counting--ugh!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Graduation
Yes, we are back. We got back on Sunday night. I have been sick ever since we left and am still sick. I still can't talk. It has been 14 days so far and I can tell you it is getting old! I went back to the doctor on Monday and she wanted to try to dry up my drainage hoping it would reduce the inflammation of my vocal cords so she gave me a prescription. I am to call her tomorrow if I still can't talk and she will bring out the "big gun" antibiotics. My cough is better and my second sore throat is getting better, so something is working--just still no voice. Plus I am tired. I haven't been to work except for one day and pretty much just staying in bed and sleeping alot. Blah.
Our trip to Utah was quick and full. We got there on Wednesday afternoon. Matt and Chris came over later that evening and the two of them, David, Sara and I went to eat at TGIFridays for a celebratory graduation dinner. After dinner we went to a nickle arcade where all the machines take nickles to run. Chris is the Ms. Packman champion of the whole place--naturally. We won enough tickets between us to get some of Chris' favorite candy and then it was late enough to go back to the Nixon's.
We were talking to Chris about Commencement. He was all raring to go, but had no idea what it entailed. We told him about the processional, the talks, etc., the recessional, etc. He asked how long that took and I said about "3 hours" and I thought he would have a heart attack! We determined that the whole thing was going to be broadcast on BYU-TV, so Chris opted out of going to Commencement--and I have to say that noone was arguing with him. So we all spent the day hanging out--the boys played some b-ball, Matt packed up his stuff and moved out of his apartment, Sara moved into her apartment,and right about dinner time Mike and Melinda arrived from Rexburg to round out the proceedings!
The next day we all met up for an informal "lunch" and get together at the Tanner Building at 11:30 where we mingled with ourselves and ate a few snacks. After that we took some pictures and then trotted over to the Marriottt Center for the Convocation ceremony. This was just for the graduates of the Marriott School of Management--and let me say, I was looking for something sharp to land on before it was all over! There were about 1100 of them!!! Thankfully only two speakers and one of them was a student that we knew who used to be in our ward here in Plano (Austin Peterson) before his family moved to Dubai. The other speaker was as dry as toast can be--even Paul had to get up and leave during his speech. He was lucky to be seated on the outside of the row. Finally they got to the calling of the graduates names and the handing of the diplomas. It took forever, but they eventually got around to Christopher Z. Nixon and we got to do our cheering thing. So now it is official--he is a graduate of BYU with a masters degree in accounting. Hooray. One down and three to go. After the ceremonies Dad took us all to Carl's Jr. for lunch (we were all starving). I had my very first Six Dollar burger and it was Fantastic!! I think I am glad there is no Carl's Jr. here in Plano.
Since we have been home, Matt has started working the morning shift (5:00 to 10:00) at Express Fitness and Chris has escaped to Hawaii. Chris gets back a week from Friday. Once Chris gets back he will start studying 10 hours a day for the CFA (Certified Financial Analyst) exam he will take June 9. On May 10 my brother Zan his wife Bonnie and their four kids are coming to Texas for a short visit. To my knowledge Zan hasn't been back to Texas in over 25 years--so this is a milestone of sorts. It will be fun to visit them here for a change.
It looks like Mike might be finished with his school stuff by early to mid June and they could be on their way back to Texas by then. His final project will need to be turned in 2-4 weeks before the end of the semester and since he only has the one class, there won't be any reason for them to hang around. I will mean that he won't "walk" at graduation, but could mean he will start a job that much sooner. He will know for sure this week. So, the state could be bulging with Nixon's before the summer is over.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Don't Faint! I'm Back Again!!
I know this is totally out of character, but I had the urge to blog. Go figure. Not much to say, just thinking of how we are leaving day after tomorrow to go to Utah to see Chris graduate from college. Big day. I seem like yesterday he was just a little pup...
Anyway, we take off Wednesday and return Sunday. Sara will go with us and stay and we will bring Matt and Chris home. I am glad two are coming home with us, otherwise I don't know if I could stand it. It is really hard leaving kids and coming back home alone without them.
There has been much to do to get Sara ready to leave and to prepare for the boys, but I have been sick as a dog and nothing is getting done. Poor Sara is left to get herself completely ready as well as work for me at APT when she thought that last Friday would be her last day. I am hoping to be able to go to work tomorrow, but I don't know if I will make it. I haven't been able to talk since last Thursday night and I have an awful sounding cough. If I can at least talk tomorrow, I think I will give work a try. I have been on antibiotics since Saturday morning, so I should be good to go if the voice comes back.
So I'll be back with an update once we return from the graduation festivities and maybe I'll even surprise myself and add a picture or two. Wouldn't that be something? Not much of a blog, I admit, but there you go. Until next time...
Anyway, we take off Wednesday and return Sunday. Sara will go with us and stay and we will bring Matt and Chris home. I am glad two are coming home with us, otherwise I don't know if I could stand it. It is really hard leaving kids and coming back home alone without them.
There has been much to do to get Sara ready to leave and to prepare for the boys, but I have been sick as a dog and nothing is getting done. Poor Sara is left to get herself completely ready as well as work for me at APT when she thought that last Friday would be her last day. I am hoping to be able to go to work tomorrow, but I don't know if I will make it. I haven't been able to talk since last Thursday night and I have an awful sounding cough. If I can at least talk tomorrow, I think I will give work a try. I have been on antibiotics since Saturday morning, so I should be good to go if the voice comes back.
So I'll be back with an update once we return from the graduation festivities and maybe I'll even surprise myself and add a picture or two. Wouldn't that be something? Not much of a blog, I admit, but there you go. Until next time...
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Yeah, I'm Still Here
OK, I have been officially chastised for not keeping up with my blog. I have no real excuse, so I'll just leave it at that and carry on. First of all let me congratulate Melinda and Micah for their award winning blogs and also Chris for his latest update with a video even! I applaude all of you for having the fortitude and thoughtfulness to keep us all informed. In comparison, I am scum.
I shall begin with the youngest, Sara. After breaking up with Travis last semester, Sara decided to take a break from school. She came home to Texas in January, got a part-time job and has been taking a couple of independent study classes from BYU. She has been working with me at Allen Physical Therapy doing general office work and sometimes helping out with the patients in the treatment area. It has been a real treat to have her home and to also get to spend time with her at work. I have been doubly blessed. She will be leaving next week to go back to Provo and I am going to miss her terribly. She has enjoyed her break from studies, but the social scene here in Plano leaves quite a bit to be desired, and she was missing her friends from Provo pretty quickly. She is looking forward to getting back to the old gang, taking some classes this summer and hopefully getting a part-time job on campus. If all goes as planned, she should be able to graduate this December.
Matthew was able to transfer from BYU-Idaho to the Provo campus for winter semester. He has really enjoyed the change, although he has also found classes a little more challenging in Provo. He was able to find an apartment just upstairs from Chris, so they ended up in the same ward. They have spent a fair amount of time together and that has been good for both of them. After switching his major from Graphic Design to Business, he has been taking some computer classes trying to see if he has any interest there. He likes the classes and I think is planning on exploring that avenue a bit further. He will be coming home next week for the summer. It seems that he already has a job lined up at Express Fitness where he worked last fall. If it works out, he will really have a leg up because it usually take several weeks to find a good paying summer job around here. Plus, if he gets the promotion to sales that he expects, he won't have to deliver pizzas at the same time like he did last fall.
Chris is looking forward to 4/24 which is his graduation day. He will graduate from BYU with his masters degree in Accounting. We are so proud! The whole family will be there including Nini and Granddad, so it should be a real rip-roarin' party. Right after graduation he plans a trip to Hawaii with Cathy Nixon and her gang for a week to chill out and celebrate. He deserves it! Then it is home to Texas for the summer. He doesn't plan to work because he has several major exams to study for and take during the course of the summer. The CFA, and two or three parts of the CPA exam. That should take care of all of his time until the end of the summer. I think he plans a quick trip to San Fransisco in there somewhere to scope out possible living accommodations and wards since he will be moving there in mid September to begin working at his career with Deloitte. It will be great to have him home for a few months before he moves away to start his "real" life. I just hope he doesn't get too bored or burn out from so much studying.
Mike and Melinda have opted to stay in Rexburg for one more summer. Mike will be taking his last class and looking for a job/internship that will start in the fall. He will graduate in July and they hope to have a job lined up here in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area by then. Meanwhile, Melinda will continue to work at the call center there in Rexburg and try not to go stark raving mad. It being summer and not winter will help a lot with that. I'll probably go up a couple of weeks before graduation and help them clean out and pack up their things in preparation for the big move. They have been in Rexburg now for almost five years.
David and I just keep on keepin' on, so to speak. Not much changes for us except for what changes with the kids. Life is good here in Plano and we are looking forward to the next few weeks. It will be great having Matt and Chris home for the summer (really sad, though, to lose Sara) and be able to spend so much time with them--especially Chris before he is gone into the big wide bad world forever. We are surely proud of our kids and the accomplishments they are acheiving, the choices they are making, and the people they are becoming. What more can we ask out of life than to witness the successes of our children.
I shall begin with the youngest, Sara. After breaking up with Travis last semester, Sara decided to take a break from school. She came home to Texas in January, got a part-time job and has been taking a couple of independent study classes from BYU. She has been working with me at Allen Physical Therapy doing general office work and sometimes helping out with the patients in the treatment area. It has been a real treat to have her home and to also get to spend time with her at work. I have been doubly blessed. She will be leaving next week to go back to Provo and I am going to miss her terribly. She has enjoyed her break from studies, but the social scene here in Plano leaves quite a bit to be desired, and she was missing her friends from Provo pretty quickly. She is looking forward to getting back to the old gang, taking some classes this summer and hopefully getting a part-time job on campus. If all goes as planned, she should be able to graduate this December.
Matthew was able to transfer from BYU-Idaho to the Provo campus for winter semester. He has really enjoyed the change, although he has also found classes a little more challenging in Provo. He was able to find an apartment just upstairs from Chris, so they ended up in the same ward. They have spent a fair amount of time together and that has been good for both of them. After switching his major from Graphic Design to Business, he has been taking some computer classes trying to see if he has any interest there. He likes the classes and I think is planning on exploring that avenue a bit further. He will be coming home next week for the summer. It seems that he already has a job lined up at Express Fitness where he worked last fall. If it works out, he will really have a leg up because it usually take several weeks to find a good paying summer job around here. Plus, if he gets the promotion to sales that he expects, he won't have to deliver pizzas at the same time like he did last fall.
Chris is looking forward to 4/24 which is his graduation day. He will graduate from BYU with his masters degree in Accounting. We are so proud! The whole family will be there including Nini and Granddad, so it should be a real rip-roarin' party. Right after graduation he plans a trip to Hawaii with Cathy Nixon and her gang for a week to chill out and celebrate. He deserves it! Then it is home to Texas for the summer. He doesn't plan to work because he has several major exams to study for and take during the course of the summer. The CFA, and two or three parts of the CPA exam. That should take care of all of his time until the end of the summer. I think he plans a quick trip to San Fransisco in there somewhere to scope out possible living accommodations and wards since he will be moving there in mid September to begin working at his career with Deloitte. It will be great to have him home for a few months before he moves away to start his "real" life. I just hope he doesn't get too bored or burn out from so much studying.
Mike and Melinda have opted to stay in Rexburg for one more summer. Mike will be taking his last class and looking for a job/internship that will start in the fall. He will graduate in July and they hope to have a job lined up here in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area by then. Meanwhile, Melinda will continue to work at the call center there in Rexburg and try not to go stark raving mad. It being summer and not winter will help a lot with that. I'll probably go up a couple of weeks before graduation and help them clean out and pack up their things in preparation for the big move. They have been in Rexburg now for almost five years.
David and I just keep on keepin' on, so to speak. Not much changes for us except for what changes with the kids. Life is good here in Plano and we are looking forward to the next few weeks. It will be great having Matt and Chris home for the summer (really sad, though, to lose Sara) and be able to spend so much time with them--especially Chris before he is gone into the big wide bad world forever. We are surely proud of our kids and the accomplishments they are acheiving, the choices they are making, and the people they are becoming. What more can we ask out of life than to witness the successes of our children.
Monday, December 10, 2007
It Is About Time For An Update
Sorry it has taken me so long to get back online here. After reading a few of your updates, it has inspired me to get moving!
David and I are working hard to get things ready for Christmas. Matt and I leave for Provo next Tuesday and David will follow on the 23rd. We are all getting excited to see everyone and to spend the holiday with family.
After much thought and prayer, David and I decided not to take EDS up on their early retirement offer. The timing just wasn't quite right. So, we will be members of the working class for a few more years at least. I know, I can hear you all crying for us even now...
However, two of the guys who work for David did opt to take the early retirement and there are no plans to replace them, so David will be scrambling to figure out how to get all of their work an his done at the same time for a while. Fun times.
Mike was able to spend several days last month in San Fransisco visiting companies that use graphic design artists. He learned a lot and came away excited to get on with his last semester of school and on to graduation. He and Melinda hope to get a job back here in the Dallas area close to family etc. We are hoping... Melinda also hopes to start cosmetology school as soon as they are settled with Mike working.
Chris accepted a job with Deloitte in San Fransisco which starts in September. In the meantime he will finish school--graduating in April and will come home to Texas for the summer. He will take part II of the CMA exam in June and then try to take a couple parts of the CPA exam during the summer. It will be nice to have him home for a few months before he takes off for his new life in California. No girlfriend on the horizon, but he has a few months to work on that!
Matthew is looking forward to getting back to school. He has been on a break these past few months working and saving money. He has been officially transferred from BYU-Idaho to BYU-Provo starting in January. He will be living in an apartment just one floor above Chris and in the same ward. That will be great for both of them! Matt is looking excited to start his studies again and get back into the college social scene. The singles scene here in Dallas/Plano has been pretty thin this fall.
Sara has been having a pretty rough go of it lately. She and Travis have really and truly broken up and it hasn't been easy. Things are finally starting to look up at this point though, and she is looking forward to some time off for the holidays. She may take a semester off to work, may launch back into a full load of classes, or may even go to class part time and work part time. She has a few decisions to make, but feels blessed to have so many options. She is still on track to graduate some time in 2008 and is turning her sights toward that goal.
We are glad that most of you in Washington survived the floods etc. Hopefully Anna and Ben will get their apartment situation worked out soon. Congrats to Lei and Jacob on their new cutie!! We need more pics!!!! I can't help being jealous of Grandma Susan, though. You will all have Nini and Granddad visiting you soon and I'll get first hand news back in a few weeks. That will be almost as good as being there. We love all you guys and miss seeing you like we used to.
We send our love and best wishes to all for a wonderful Christmas! Count your blessings and don't forget to share them. I'll try not to be so lazy with the blog next time.
David and I are working hard to get things ready for Christmas. Matt and I leave for Provo next Tuesday and David will follow on the 23rd. We are all getting excited to see everyone and to spend the holiday with family.
After much thought and prayer, David and I decided not to take EDS up on their early retirement offer. The timing just wasn't quite right. So, we will be members of the working class for a few more years at least. I know, I can hear you all crying for us even now...
However, two of the guys who work for David did opt to take the early retirement and there are no plans to replace them, so David will be scrambling to figure out how to get all of their work an his done at the same time for a while. Fun times.
Mike was able to spend several days last month in San Fransisco visiting companies that use graphic design artists. He learned a lot and came away excited to get on with his last semester of school and on to graduation. He and Melinda hope to get a job back here in the Dallas area close to family etc. We are hoping... Melinda also hopes to start cosmetology school as soon as they are settled with Mike working.
Chris accepted a job with Deloitte in San Fransisco which starts in September. In the meantime he will finish school--graduating in April and will come home to Texas for the summer. He will take part II of the CMA exam in June and then try to take a couple parts of the CPA exam during the summer. It will be nice to have him home for a few months before he takes off for his new life in California. No girlfriend on the horizon, but he has a few months to work on that!
Matthew is looking forward to getting back to school. He has been on a break these past few months working and saving money. He has been officially transferred from BYU-Idaho to BYU-Provo starting in January. He will be living in an apartment just one floor above Chris and in the same ward. That will be great for both of them! Matt is looking excited to start his studies again and get back into the college social scene. The singles scene here in Dallas/Plano has been pretty thin this fall.
Sara has been having a pretty rough go of it lately. She and Travis have really and truly broken up and it hasn't been easy. Things are finally starting to look up at this point though, and she is looking forward to some time off for the holidays. She may take a semester off to work, may launch back into a full load of classes, or may even go to class part time and work part time. She has a few decisions to make, but feels blessed to have so many options. She is still on track to graduate some time in 2008 and is turning her sights toward that goal.
We are glad that most of you in Washington survived the floods etc. Hopefully Anna and Ben will get their apartment situation worked out soon. Congrats to Lei and Jacob on their new cutie!! We need more pics!!!! I can't help being jealous of Grandma Susan, though. You will all have Nini and Granddad visiting you soon and I'll get first hand news back in a few weeks. That will be almost as good as being there. We love all you guys and miss seeing you like we used to.
We send our love and best wishes to all for a wonderful Christmas! Count your blessings and don't forget to share them. I'll try not to be so lazy with the blog next time.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Time for another update, I fear. Not too much has happened, but enough to make sitting down at the computer worthwhile. Melinda and her friend have started making purses to sell and have a trip to Salt Lake/Provo planned for next weekend to buy some fabric. Perhaps we can talk Melinda into putting a photo of one of her purses on her blog so we can all see what she is talking about. I am not aware if she has a new job or not or just how the job hunt is going. Mike is looking forward to his class trip to San Francisco next month. They will have the opportunity to visit and investigate different companies that would use a graphic design artist. He will be gone about a week and hopefully gain some valuable knowledge that will help him secure a fabulous well paying job after graduation!
Chris got callbacks for a second round of interviews from Price Waterhouse and Deloitte and is still waiting to hear from Bain Capital. He also has a first interview with Boston Consulting Group next Wednesday. So when he takes off for San Francisco and LA in a couple of weeks, he hopes to have quite a few second round interviews lined up and make the absolute most of his time there. GO CHRIS!! He has also joined a bowling league and I understand is still dating up a storm. Plus rumor has it that he is also going to class.
Matt is keeping busy checking in all the babes at Express Fitness during the day and delivering pizzas at night. He keeps bugging them at COSTCO for that elusive third job, but so far, no luck. One of these days they are going to wake up and smell the postum and hire him! They should give him something for diligence if nothing else.
The most recent intelligence on Sara and Travis is that they are currently dating again. She is enjoying her Shakespeare class as well as her technical writing class. Other than that, I really don't know what is going on.
David is still considering the EDS early retirement offer. There is quite a lot to consider. He has to make a decision by the end of the month, so the pressure is mounting. I don't think we are ready to give up a job altogether, so the decision now is do we stay here with EDS another 3 or 4 years or do we retire with EDS, move to UT and get another job there. (Anybody know of any openings?) I know what I want to do, but I am just going with my gut--who cares about the numbers?!
That is it for now. I am still waiting for the Nixon clan to get onboard with the bloggin' . Get movin' you guys!!
Chris got callbacks for a second round of interviews from Price Waterhouse and Deloitte and is still waiting to hear from Bain Capital. He also has a first interview with Boston Consulting Group next Wednesday. So when he takes off for San Francisco and LA in a couple of weeks, he hopes to have quite a few second round interviews lined up and make the absolute most of his time there. GO CHRIS!! He has also joined a bowling league and I understand is still dating up a storm. Plus rumor has it that he is also going to class.
Matt is keeping busy checking in all the babes at Express Fitness during the day and delivering pizzas at night. He keeps bugging them at COSTCO for that elusive third job, but so far, no luck. One of these days they are going to wake up and smell the postum and hire him! They should give him something for diligence if nothing else.
The most recent intelligence on Sara and Travis is that they are currently dating again. She is enjoying her Shakespeare class as well as her technical writing class. Other than that, I really don't know what is going on.
David is still considering the EDS early retirement offer. There is quite a lot to consider. He has to make a decision by the end of the month, so the pressure is mounting. I don't think we are ready to give up a job altogether, so the decision now is do we stay here with EDS another 3 or 4 years or do we retire with EDS, move to UT and get another job there. (Anybody know of any openings?) I know what I want to do, but I am just going with my gut--who cares about the numbers?!
That is it for now. I am still waiting for the Nixon clan to get onboard with the bloggin' . Get movin' you guys!!
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