Orlando, Snow, and a NEW JOB!

Last week I was in Orlando for a leadership conference. My pictures are posted here. As you can see the majority of my time in Orlando was spent at the hotel and the airport. It was nice to be able to wear a t-shirt and walk around outside in February.

I arrived in Portland around 11:30pm Friday. This is what the forecast held for Saturday. It was quite the change from sunny Florida.

And, as you can see in the title I was offered (and accepted) the job I applied for in South Carolina. We have begun the process of meeting with the relocation coordinator, mortgage companies, the moving company, etc. Last week we posted a "war calender" in our hallway where we can map out a timeline and tasks. (The NoPo DeBoard's like to plan).

Well that is all for now. I hope everyone is enjoying their week. I am headed to Newberg on Saturday to ride Smiles for the first time at the new trainer's barn, and Dad is joining us for dinner since he has to pick Mom up from the airport that night.

South Carolina

Tom and I have decided to move to South Carolina. The decision was difficult and we spent many, many, many hours discussing values, careers, family, etc. It became apparent in the last few weeks that the opportunities available to us there are too good to pass up.

I had an interview on Friday for a sales engineering position which went very well. I hope to hear back soon with a job offer. Here is a pic of my interview "get-up".




















Here are some pics of our recent trip to South Carolina ...















This is where our new "temporary" offices will be. Notice the cool red dirt.















A picture representative of the SC landscape.















This is in a old downtown area, there was a parade going on so there was quite the people and car traffic. I was reminded of Newberg when we passed through.















We ate lunch at this quaint little restaurant an gift shop.




















A creative way of advertising chiropractic services.










Another view of the local landscape.

A Weekend In Review

Tom and I had a busy but fun weekend.

Saturday morning I made breakfast. The menu included smoked baby swiss omelets, veggie sausage, and toast. After breakfast Tom headed to a career seminar for UofP students. He found it very useful and informative. It was not your typical career seminar that covers resumes, interviewing skills, salary negotiation, etc. The exercises and lectures focused more on career strategy. Some of the topics covered were "when to move up" and "when to move out".

I headed down to Aurora to work on the farm with Mom and Dad. I spent the morning cleaning stalls, feeding horses, raising a mailbox (it was too far in the ground), and transferring plants into new pots. After lunch I rode Smiles, then we fed the horses and headed over to the feed store. After unloading 500 lbs of grain we called it a day.

I then followed Mom and Dad to a furniture store in Lake Oswego where I helped them pick out some furniture for Dad's "man cave". The "man cave" is the bonus room above the garage where Dad has his new plasma screen TV and HD service. After the furniture is delivered it will be fully furnished with lots of seating.

We convinced Tom that he should meet us for dinner. Tom found a restaurant using google maps name Casa Colima (sp?). We had never been there before, but we're pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food and service. Everyone had a great time, especially Dad and his two margaritas :-)

Sunday morning was spent sleeping in (7:45). This mornings menu was a ham and cheese souffle. We met up with Edgar and Josh (a couple of my college buddies) at Hollywood Bowl and had a great time bowling. I had the high score of the day (140). After bowling we headed to Sal's for some Italian food. The food was great and the company even better. Time spent with good friends is always worth the effort to make the plans. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Edgar and Josh.














Hope everyone else had an enjoyable weekend. I will post some pics soon.

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season. Tom and I were able to spend time with family and enjoy some much needed quiet time at the house. Since we work for the same company we have the same holidays, which shut down from 12-22 through 1-2. I made it through Christmas but spent the rest of our time off sick. Oh well, that is life. And now for the monthly DeBoard news update...

Work news...

Just prior to the holiday break my department announced a re-organization. The majority of the changes happened at the management level and most groups withing the department stayed intact. However, I was traded.

I moved from the current product engineering team to the new product engineering team. I am now working on designs that the customers won't see until 2010. I am now on my third full time position since 6/06.

For those of you who haven't heard Tom's position is being moved to South Carolina. We have not made a decision regarding the move. If we do decide to go that would be another position for me in a new group by 7/08. Personally, I am ready to settle into a job for a little longer than 6 months. However, the move has the potential to benefit both of our careers significantly.

Onto some more interesting (horse) news... (if you are still reading)

Smiles(aka Funny Papers), my horse, is headed back to "school". He was in full training from February through July of last year. Since bringing him back from training I have only been able to ride about twice a week, which is really not enough for a young horse. I am probably biased, but I think he has the potential to be a good show horse. So, he will be going to a new trainer in a couple of weeks.

I am really looking forward to seeing him progress as well as the opportunity to train with one of the top paint and quarter horse trainers in the northwest. It will be an opportunity for both of us to progress in our skills as wells as meet some new people.

Some "Baba" news ... (anyone still here?)

While the last eight weeks has been a trial for our family it has also been a blessing. We are truly blessed and thankful that the Lord worked a miracle for "Baba". The doctors gave her a 50/50 chance of surviving due to her age and the high risk of complications. I am happy to report she was released from the hospital to a rehab center a week ago. Tom and I went to visit her last Sunday and I almost walked right by her because I didn't recognize her. She looked great. (I hadn't seen her in two weeks as I was sick and didn't want to expose her).

I have decided that Baba is one of my hero's. Anyone that has met her can attest to her unique and contagious personality and zest for life. But, to see her handle this ordeal with such grace and determination is truly an inspiration. Throughout this entire ordeal she has maintained a positive outlook on life and has not complained or lamented once. She is really an amazing person and has taught me so much about life and living.

Thanks for sticking in there for this long, no-picture post. I will try and update the blog more frequently. I have some cute pictures of the dogs to post, but haven't downloaded them yet. Have a great weekend!

Christmas Spirit

We have been a little slow getting into the Christmas spirit this year, but it is here now. On Wednesday Tom and I took a vacation day for some much needed rest and time spent with each other.

The day consisted of a wonderful homemade breakfast (thanks Tom), gaming, working out, dinner with Mom and Dad, and some late night bowling. During the day we also made gingerbread cookies. I gathered the ingredients made the dough and cut out a few cookies for the first batch. Tom decided to join in on the fun....

I "supervised" as he cut out a Vladimir and house cookie. Here are the results of the first batch.



After the first batch was finished I cut out some more circles and a chubby gingerbread man and then left Tom "unsupervised" to use up the last of the dough. This is what he came up with.

I guess you could say he has talent ;-)

This weekend I was away house sitting for my parents. I met up with Ma and Pa for dinner on Saturday night (thanks again, I had a great time). Then today Tom came down. We met at his parents house for breakfast. After breakfast we went bowling, played miniature golf, and then had lunch. It was a fun filled morning with the younger DeBoard team taking home the bragging rights for bowling, and Ma taking home the bragging rights for mini golf.

When I arrived home this evening there was a cute little tree just waiting to be decorated. I have been talking about getting a tree for a couple weeks now, but we just had not had the time to pick one up. What a nice surprise from such a wonderful husband. I decorated it while he was napping (he was asleep when I got home), and he awoke to his own surprise.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

P.S. Here is an outake from the dogs' photo session. As you can see Woody was VERY excited.

Cards, dogs, and food

We sincerely hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. It is always nice to spend time with family and reflect on all that God has blessed us with. We are truly blessed by our loving family and friends, especially given the current circumstances.

My grandmother is doing very well considering her injuries and age. Good always seems to present in the light of tragedy. I have not seen my aunt in 10 years and was able to spend Thanksgiving with her, which was truly a treat.

Today has been pretty laid back. Tom and I ate turkey leftovers for breakfast and watched some mma (mixed martial arts). The rest of the day was spent bowling (I bowled a 150 today!) and making Christmas Cards (or gaming if your name is Tom).

Here is a picture of the cards I made today:

A couple of extras asked that I post a picture of their recent dog sandwich creation. I am not sure what they are planning in this picture, but it is no doubt "evil". You may want to enlarge the picture to get the full effect :-)

And now for some food. Since Tom has been back from Spain one of his favorite meals is ensalda and Spanish "pizza" (Tom can't remeber what it is actually called). The first time I made it he was so impressed with my talent for Spanish cuisine he took pictures.

Prayer Request

I apologize for the lack of updates and was planning on doing a general update post about the fun and interesting happenings in NoPo, but at the moment I would like to use this blog to ask for prayers for my Grandma.

Friday, night my grandmother was in a head on collision while driving home from the grocery store. She was life flighted to the local trauma hospital.

Currently she is stable, but in critical condition. She is facing a lengthy recovery and Tom and I would appreciate it if you would keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

God Bless,
Tom and Laurie