What's up with Kaz and Shelley?

OK - so life got pretty crazy on us there for a while...and obviously, this blog dropped off our (and probably everyone else's) radar.

So what's going on with Kaz and Shelley (and Ticker) lately???

Kaz is a business owner!
The biggest news for Kaz is that he recently started his own construction business with a friend out here. They were both laid off from their remodeling crew a few months ago due to business coming to a near halt with the economic downturn. Construction has been one of the hardest hit industries lately, so it would've been nearly impossible for them to get a similar job on another crew...so they decided to go on their own and see what they could do. They already had the tools, so there wasn't much of an up-front investment needed to make it happen. And I have to say, with little more than word-of-mouth, they've been able to stay fairly busy. Any new small business usually struggles to gain momentum at the beginning, but they've been doing fairly well despite economic conditions.

The bathroom is (on the verge of being) done!
As you know, we bought a house at the end of May. We love the place, and it's in pretty good condition...but the bathrooms left much to be desired. So, we decided to remodel the hall bath right away. Kaz ripped literally EVERYTHING out and started from scratch. He had it functional by late July, so he's been focusing on aestetic things since then. And the plan is to put the finishing touches on this weekend. Woo hoo!!! We'll probably wait a year or two before doing the same with the second bathroom...so for now, that's Ticker's room.

Shelley is (practically) done with school!
I finished all of my classes for my master's degree back in May but still needed to finish writing my thesis through this semester. I officially defended it on October 1 (and passed) and I turned the final product in to the Graduate College a couple weeks ago. So I am officially done with all my graduate work, and I'll officially graduate in December. Yippee!!! And I know that most people have a hard time remembering what my degree is in...so I'll put it out there again. I'll have a Master's of Science in Instructional & Performance Technology.

Shelley is still working for Citigroup!
Yep. Still an instructional designer there.

Shelley and Kaz had a housewarming party in October!
Fun stuff. We had about 30 people over - friends and co-workers of Kaz; friends, classmates, and co-workers of mine; and a few neighbors. It was a pretty mixed group, but it worked out well. Kaz and a friend made SIX GALLONS of chili for the event. We had a little left over. We weren't expecting gifts, but we scored plenty of wine and gift cards...even Ticker got a gift card to PetSmart!

How is Ticker?
Happy, healthy, and playful. Still not very smart...but she's cute and cuddly. A few weeks ago, we bought her a little harness and leash for taking her outside...the first time went well...the next time not as well.

Are Kaz and Shelley going back to EC for the Turkey Day?
Nope. Some of our out-of-state friends are coming to us.

Are Kaz and Shelley going back to EC for Christmas?
Yeppers.