OK, OK, OK, so you didn’t get this letter in 2011. We understand the disappointment. Hopefully your misfortune wasn’t compounded by being in an earthquake, being flooded out, having your dog get stuck in a vat of glue or burning your toast in the morning. Who liked eleven anyway? Did we even go on vacation? On to 12 we go, and if you are lucky, you won’t be in a hurricane and you’ll receive another fine letter in December of this year. As always, Rochelle wants you to see the translation at: http://rrmanning.blogspot.com it should be there in a few days.
As they often do, things got crazy toward the end of the year, but this year crazier than ever before so we just didn't write a Christmas letter. We also didn't have a Christmas tree in our house, and Richard had to stop Rochelle from selling our artificial tree online. We didn't go on a vacation that anyone can remember, but we did spend a week at the beach in Delaware, and we drove the length of North Dakota, and we had lots of fun in various places, including home. We had lots of interesting weather events during the year, including a hurricane, major rain storms that flooded areas around us, but fortunately not us, an early heavy snow that dropped some limbs off trees, etc. We were able to join others in the Mormon Helping Hands effort to clean up after these events and found that interesting and enjoyable. Some of the homes we worked on had been in 10 feet of standing water for extended periods. Sheetrock and other building materials don't do well in such conditions. If you are reading this, you have already made Rochelle happy.
The walls creaked, the desk kind of wobbled and he got kind of dizzy. Later he heard the bells were ringing in DC. The new C guy sent a video. As a consequence, Richard joined the 9% in November and then got on the phone, the train and the airplane. Lots of meetings. Two people named Mike, but what happened to the other three? Come February, will it be
Richard felt the earthquake from his office at the major pharma company located in Whitehouse Station, NJ (he has learned that he shouldn't put company names in his blog so he doesn't). For as minor as the shaking was it was interesting that it made him queasy, almost nauseous. Earlier in the year, the company's new CEO announced a new round of cutbacks and corporate restructuring. Richard naively thought he would be safe, being the only one doing what he did, and having been recruited to the company just over a year before to do just what he was doing... WRONG. The day before Thanksgiving was his last at that company so he started calling people he knew, traveling a lot talking about new opportunities, etc. and landing some interesting offers. He also got a close up look at some of the "occupy" encampments. Interesting, to say the least. The most interesting jobs turned out to be in Santa Monica, CA and Washington, DC. He chose one in the latter - he'll be a partner in an economics consulting firm in DC. Let's hope we don't get stuck in the snow down there like we did this past year. We hope Rachel and Shiloh don't tire of us being too close. Moving there also reveres a long trend of a friend from grad school who formerly had followed Richard to three places of school/employment/residence. This friend (nameless out of respect for privacy) also works at the firm. Richard started writing the novel he has long thought he would write and learned that it is a lot harder to write fiction than he realized. He decided to just stick to nonsense - his standard genre.
Rochelle doesn’t remember the first half of the year because she was up before the sun, but not after June, for which she is grateful – even if the building didn’t start until September. She got to see the harp more often that way. She really must like dust and mud, and sheetrock soaked in water, and the sound of hammers. She is really not a hoarder; how much stuff can she sell? Sing a solo, do a dance for old folks – no problem. Make spaghetti? Well, that’s another matter. Decorate a Christmas tree? Forget about it. Let the trucks keep you up at night? No thanks. Some challenges are difficult, and the accompanying miracles small and large difficult to describe. Sometimes listening to your husband is actually a good idea. Let’s hope they are done before February ends.
Rochelle was freed from the responsibility of teaching early morning seminary (religious instruction for high school kids in our church) as of June. She has few memories outside that experience (which she says she enjoyed) due to sleep deprivation. One reason she quit teaching is that we were supposed to start construction on a major renovation of the house in May or June to be completed in November or December. It actually didn't start until September and is still going on. We live in dust, we have no kitchen (hence no real cooking), no oven, no stove and only partial bathrooms (some with water-type facilities, others with lights, but none with both - until yesterday. Our family room is a construction zone and our living room is full of furniture from other rooms. No Xmas tree. Sounds kind of familiar. Hopefully we're just a few weeks from the end of it all. Then do we sell the house? Maybe. What a drag. She continued singing with a group of friends at retirement homes, this year featuring a solo performance that made some of the men in the audience swoon. Arrin took a look at the basement and asked her mother if she was a hoarder so Rochelle started selling some stuff on various websites that exist for such purposes. In the summer, Rochelle's father passed away after a difficult final few years. Richard convinced her to go spend some time in Pocatello with him and her mother when things were difficult and she was able to be there when he passed. She experienced some tender moments better left to her to discuss in person.
Rachel, Shiloh, Harper, Atti. The singing harp watches the show and dances and shops and loves noodles and manages the iPad. Now the dog is in the back yard, but the big gate thing is stuck in place, just like Harper sometimes. The jobs seem the same to an outsider, but then, we’ve never been to Manassas
Rachel and family are frequently visited by the grandparents. Even more so toward the end of the year. Harper is hilarious, just like her grandfather. She turned 2 at Thanksgiving time. She sings and dances and says "outta here" with a wave of her hand when you are sitting where she wants to sit. She is a master of Apple technology, knowing how to operate an iPad and iPhone (at least the photos and video components) better than lots of adults. As for Rachel and Shiloh, they seem fine, but really we tend to ignore them anyway. They both work hard, Shiloh and friends/cousins built a nice fence so Attie can spend her days there. Poor Atti is largely ignored by the grandparents now that there is a small human to talk to. Rachel started painting the basement an interesting and attractive pattern, but progress has stalled in recent months.
Chris got into the red, fulfilling a long time dream of beating the blue on the gridiron. Did you see Groundhog Day - how long can you stay 21? Until about mid year, it turns out. In class to make the brain work – going well, and not folding shirts any more. The red car still chugs along – how much longer? Let’s hope there is a car payment on the other end. What is the summer like in NJ by the pool? Why does dad do those things? Chris was an Eagle, but his scout is a dog. It doesn’t look like a sheep. Has it been to Perth
Christopher left his job in management at a clothing retailer whose name seems to suggest one can never get to age 22 (remember, no corporate names) and started the MBA program at the University of Utah (I guess it's OK to identify nonprofit organizations). Still driving the red Passat. Hoping to get a good summer internship and a good job on the other side of the program. He has been very involved in student activities, including arranging a football game between the MBAs at the U and the Y (BYU). The U won. Evidently there were some hard feelings but that isn't much of a surprise if you have ever seen a Mormon church men's basketball game (the joke is: church ball is the only place you can see a fight start with a prayer). Chris spent some of the summer with us in NJ, tending to the pool, having a party, being puzzled why his dad can't resist the temptation to spray visitors at the pool with water. He started the semester living in a house near campus but got an Australian Shepherd named Scout and moved into a new apartment with a friend named Casey. He seems pretty happy. suggests
Who is that guy Arrin? At least this red car doesn’t have a NJ license plate – and she doesn’t have to have a NJ drivers license. Working in the man’s hat was fun sometimes, interesting other times, successful all the time, but also a long commute sometimes so NJ wasn’t so bad – especially on the hot summer days by the pool. What is that thing on your finger and why does your class care it was your birthday? What does X’X-1X’Y mean? Is there such a thing as leptosis? Where did Leland J. live? Does he know the way to San Jose or San Juan
If you look closely, you will see that we have added a new face to the enclosed card. We hope it's not premature. Arrin was engaged to Marcus Barton just before her birthday in November. That allowed her to show off her engagement ring in her econometrics class on her birthday. Her professor isobviously a very friendly fellow. She marries in March, graduates in April and starts a job in Palo Alto, California in July (?), working as an analyst for an investment bank. Marcus is a great guy - a little less noisy than some in our family, but we'll get him used to us. He also graduates in April and has a job in San Jose. So where will they live?
Summer in Perryville, Ben. Not a ton of cash, but a few tips: buy low, sell high; wear black shoes with black pants; take pictures if that’s what you do and they’ll pay you for it, but charge more; get a scholarboat; make friends even in the Garden State Sin City
To begin the 2nd semester of his Freshman year, Ben moved down the hall to a new dorm with a new room mate and was in a new student ward (church congregation). Funny how that works at BYU. He came to NJ for summer and tried his hand for one day working at a plant nursery but settled in as a member of the wait staff at a swanky restaurant in a town nearby. He made some money and learned some important life skills - like which spoon goes where. He got a scholarship for his photography work, and returned for the first semester of his Sophomore year before leaving on Dec 21 for the Nevada, Las Vegas West mission. He'll be gone for two years. The mission includes the western half of the city (clever naming, no?) and about the western half of the state, plus slivers of California and Oregon. We miss him already and pray for his success and happiness.
To keep Rochelle happy, etc....
That's all there is. Happy New Year!!
