I split the pictures into separte pages to keep the navigation simple. The after pictures aren't there yet, because after is still in the future at this point.
Before we bought the house
While we were moving in
After everything was done
Boat pictures
06-05-2007 Update After pictures are still missing because after has not yet happened :) I'm working on it though. In the mean time check out my boat pictures. There must be a reason why I'm not done with the house yet. I wonder if it could have anything to do with how much time we're spending on the water these days.
I thought I was going to fix two broken tiles by the front door, and discovered that I didn't have any replacments like I thought I did. So I wound up redoing the whole area. Maintaining the pool is taking about an hour per day, sometimes 2-3. The garden, the lawn, and outdoor maintenance is taking quite a bit of my time too.
Working for Idaho Power is good. I like the people there, and they treat me well. We just got done moving down town. I was kind of dreading it because of the traffic, and plus city life just isn't really my bag. However, it's really not that bad. I've been coming in early in the morning and leaving before traffic gets bad and I'm usually home by 3 PM. We also cut over to a new Energy Management System, and while there were a few minor issues no one lost power which was one of the main goals. I'm currently working on several projects, still learning Fortran, and the new system.
I'm still hoping to return to school in the fall provided I can prove residency before the cut off for enrollment. If not it will be January, and I'll start off track.
Sean just got his SAT results, and he is post high school in almost every category. He is skipping 6th grade, and will be starting 7th next year. He's still adjusting to the new area, but he's making friends and it seems like he'll do just fine.
David is just as happy as ever. He will be starting 1st grade next year. He had a bit of trouble learning his letters, but he has the hang of it now. In order to pass he had to be able to identify 52 letters (upper and lower case) in 30 seconds or less. Gabe and I had a hard time with that test. He really likes going in the pool, and enjoys playing with Sean.
Gabe is looking forward to going back to work in the fall when the kids go back to school. Staying at home all day just isn't for her. She enjoys the social interaction, and being able to quantify goals and accomplishements. She says she likes the area, but I can tell that she misses California.
09-28-2006 Update Well we're here. Still unpacking as of 09-28-2006, heheheh. We have way too much stuff. So much to report it's hard to tell where to start.
Gabe is adjusting to being a stay at home Mom as it is a first for her. She is getting a lot accomplished though, which is good because I'm gone most of the day. If we were both working this would be taking a lot longer than it is. As I write she is BBQing ribs so that I can sit here and give an update. She has both of the kids in school. David is attending a local public school for kindergarten and Sean is going to Calvary Christian School here in Nampa. We checked out the church there last weekend, and we may wind up there, but we still want to check around the area before we make a decision. I really liked the worship, and the message. They are still building their facilities, so we gathered outdoors, and it was really nice. They have a tent they use for the colder weather (which we have not yet seen as it has been between 70 and 85 for the last 3 weeks). It is supposed to get colder in the next few months, but we have heard that it does not snow a lot here and what falls doesn't stick around long. Time will tell us the truth.
The kids really like having their own rooms, the spa, and having a big back yard. David especially likes the basketball hoop and Sean especially likes the spa. Bitsy (the dog) likes to run around the yard, but really likes it when the neighbor's dog can come over and play with her. She has learned how to jump up and make the porch swing move and will lie down on it while it is rocking.
I got the office set up over the course of the past two weeks. I've kind of been splitting my time between multiple projects, but I'm finally to the point where all of my books are out, and accessible. This is the first thing I'm doing on my workstation. I went through much pain getting DSL. The first company OneWest told me that I could get a static IP without PPPoA. They lied. I told them going in that my infrastructure is such that I have a DSL modem running straight to a Linksys router using port forwarding to host my domains. It doesn't support PPPoA, and PPPoE has no provision for a static IP. They sent me this crazy 2Wire DSL modem/router/pile of steaming .... well you get the idea. This thing requires me to use it's DHCP to assign IP addresses to my DMZ if I want the ability to port forward. This has created a great deal of complexity concerning my DNS servers. Bind has no provision for auto update of the IP addresses, so if the power ever goes out, I have to make sure I bring them back up in the right order, or I'll have to readjust my DNS servers. Initially I wanted to just bridge it and use it as a dumb modem, which a tech at Qwest told me I could do if I had their service. So I switched, waited 4 days for them to complete the work order only to discover that I'm still in the same boat. After 3 days on the phone for 4-5 hours each day being bounced around from the ISP, to Qwest, to the modem manufacturer, and being told that what I'm trying to do isn't supported I bit the bullet and just did it their way. I'm not happy about it, but at least it's finally working.
I started my new job on the 18th. It's ..... interesting. I've never worked in this type of environment, so it's kind of .... interesting. They use a development process called Scrum. It's a rugby term. It basically means to huddle, and come up with a plan quickly to score a goal. In development terms, the project is split up into several teams. Each team is responsible for a portion of the overall project. Each project is developed in 30 day sprints, where as a team, we have to write specs, code, test, and deliver an iteration in each sprint. All members of the team can perform any of the tasks required to accomplish our stated goals. So far I have written specs, done analysis to determine requirements, written J2EE code in Eclipse, written test plans, done debugging, fixing, and retesting. We have daily 15 minute meetings to outline our progress, and list any impediments (anything preventing us from moving forward). It's pretty intense.
One of the cool things is that it's a long term project (4-5 years) which will give me time to get my MSCS degree if I stay there. I already have a line on another job though, and depending on if I'm offered that job I might take it. Mostly because it sounds more interesting (more in line with what I'm used to doing), and also because it's a permanent position with Idaho Power where turnover is very low. I'm also still getting hits on my resume, so who knows where I might end up.