Happy New Year from The Rowland’s Pack

Happy New Year!

Hello Family,

Tyson, the pack and I are ready for 2018 but we are so grateful for the wonderful 2017 we had. It was quite eventful with our engagement and wedding so we are ready for a quieter 2018.

We want to thank all of you for attending our wedding and for participating in it. It turned out to be a beautiful day with everything that we had envisioned. We'll be sending out thank yous soon now that we have a few professional pictures from the day (the rest will be coming sometime in January). Our photographer (X) took over 4,000 so he's having to take a bit of time editing them. :)

I can't tell you how much it meant to me to have as many of you there as there were. I know for several of you it was hard to rearrange schedules, grab flights, drive for many hours to make it and it means a lot to me that you made that effort. And to have the musicians be entirely members of my family also means more to me than I can say. You all do so well. Thank you for being willing to play/sing some non-traditional and new songs.

Our honeymoon was spent in a hobbit hole in Eurkea Springs Arkansas. Sadly, Tyson spent most of it suffering from a man cold but the Hobbit Hole was the perfect place to rest up.

Since returning from the honey moon we've mostly spent time preparing for Christmas and then having various Christmas gatherings. We enjoyed some of you yesterday at the sock exchange and missed those of you who weren't there.

Our plans for the new year include working more on our house including the kitchen and our upstairs rooms. We also will be teaching 4-H dog classes together. We also will be working to form a non-profit so we can begin training service dogs which as you know has been a life-long dream of mine.

Tyson will still be working at Cox Communications in Newton and I'll be mostly doing work with Sunflower Training Services and looking at some other jobs I can do from home.

For those of you who do not have Tyson's contact info here it is so you can add it to your phones and email contacts. You can also find him on Facebook Tyson Rowland: 

Email: tyson.rowland88@gmail.com

Phone: 620-474-3990 

Here are some pictures from Christmas and a few from the wedding. 

Our house decorated: 

At my bridal shower everyone attended made us ornaments. We hung all of them on our tree. Here is some pictures of just a few of them. If you look closely you can find Emily’s portrait!

Here are a few pictures from our honeymoon: 

And a few from the wedding. These are ones Uncle Randy took allowing us to have some early and capture some special moments: 

And here are the few professional pictures we’ve gotten so far 

We look forward to sharing more pictures as we get them!

Love, 

From Kate, Tyson and the pack. 

Hello Family:

Well, as you all know we had an eventful Fall.  Most of it was spent preparing for Kate and Tyson’s wedding.   What a good time that was.  Then it was on to the holiday.  Oh, yeah we did work and  everyday things in there as well!

A new activity for me is doing puppets with Pamey for the Early Learning Center chapel.  Stop in some time on Friday mornings and meet Elcee and Oral.  Oral is a slightly grumpy and slightly clueless rabbit.  That would be my partJ

In November, I kicked off the holiday season by marching in the Christmas parade with the Cosmosphere.  It was wet and cold.  We tried to convince our gift store manager we needed matching Cosmosphere umbrellas so as to dance down the street but he wasn’t as excited.  We decorated our tree, Grandma and Grandpa’s tree and helped with the church ones. Oh and my office.  It all was fun and festive.

We’ve added some new things and of course have our favorite old things as well.  Here are pictures.

For years, I've dutifully decorated the office with a space theme.  Not so this year-it PIGS1!1

The piggy on stilts has been a favorite!

One of the guys from Space Works made the little display area!

A new display by Tim for his village.  We haven't had it all out in years.  Now if it just survives the dogs' tails.

New to us.  Found this at the thrift store.

I've had this Christmas towel and roll of  TP for the bathroom since my dorm days in college.  Moral of the story-if you visit please don't use this TP roll:)

Tim's skier from his boyhood.

I remember picking this ornament out in Macy's in Topeka.  It's been around awhile.

Wishing everyone a blessed holiday.

Love

Auntie and Tim

Falling off the Rails - An apology blog post

Hello family -

Unfortunately, Nate and I have been swamped and this is the first moment I've had to write about what is going on with us.  Nate recently started a new job at Data Center Incorporated as a Card Services Specialist moving from IT Help Desk work.  I have been busy working from production to production since early July.  With literally no break between productions (a thing which I will be avoiding in the future).

On our vacation to Eureka Springs in June.  We escaped the
Ullom family vacation in Branson for an evening.

So, let's start with Nate.  Nate has been working at DCI for almost one year. In late August, a job came open in a department that gave Nate a significant promotion.  He applied for and was accepted for the position in early October.  This was after applying in early September.  Part of the delay was the extreme amount of overwork and stress that the department is under.  Which Nate has now jumped into.  Thankfully though, my impression is that the department is making good progress and that Nate is making a difference.  Part of the position is the implementation of DCI's banking/credit card product which requires on-site conversions and assistance.  The estimated level of travel was more than 50% of the job. 

Friend Dell Swearer with Nate and myself during photo booth fun at the
Cosmosphere's Gala "Everything Under the Stars"

We've had the good fortune of Nate being gently initiated into the travel portion.  The only traveling he's had came in October.  The second week at his new position saw him assisting his work group with an install in northeastern Kansas.  He took a week break at home and then heading out to Oregon the last week of October.  I think that he is enjoying the prospect of traveling but is also enjoying the time at home, particularly since his travel won't begin in earnest again until February.  Which coincides directly with when I begin my evening rehearsals again.  So, that is good timing. 

Since July 1st, I have gone from The Laramie Project to Godspell (which actually rehearsed over The Laramie Project) to Talking Tombstones to Almost, Maine without a pause in the schedule.  Throw in auditions for Fiddler on the Roof and it is just a constant go, go, go. 

Stage 9's Godspell - with lighting and scene design by me

Almost, Maine's closing moment

Auditions for Fiddler on the Roof - Callbacks

My scenery and lighting design for
The Odd Couple [Female Version] 

Almost, Maine's lighting effect for the Northern Lights

Some more fun with lighting...this time on the Laramie Project

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While there have been a lot of challenges, I've enjoyed spending time as I can with family and friends.  And Nate and I have managed to do a couple of fun things here and there.  Including an impromptu trip to Worlds of Fun and a bizarre trip to Atchinson to watch the Eclipse in down pouring rain only in the last minute to have the opportunity to see Bailey's beads and full eclipse with a view. 

Staying dry in Atchinson prior to the Eclipse

Mom and a personal friend, Jo Stropes,
hanging out prior to the Eclipse

We also added a member to our family in the form of a Irish Setter puppy.  He is adorable and Hampton Hunter Halstead is so much fun to be around.  He's giving Aspen a run for his money.  And Nate and I are enjoying his company.

Hampton at his first vet appointment.

Thanksgiving was a quick day and the decorating that followed was great.  Even my friend Estelle made a trip to Wichita and I enjoyed several days of spending time with her. 

On Estelle's visit to our home

And now we are on our way to NYC.  Hanging out in St. Louis, we flew Southwest Airlines and our plane out of Wichita was the same plane that we will ride to NYC on so Nate and I hung out with the flight attendants with the entire plane by ourselves.  It was amazing and the first time I'd ever done that even though I've traveled so much in my life. 

St. Louis including the arch this morning on our flight.

St. Louis including the arch this morning on our flight.

We're in NYC until December 12th.  We'll hang out with Mary, Kurtis and Aurora, see some landmarks and sights since it is the first time that Nate has been to NYC, see Santa Claus at Macy's, enjoy the Christmas in the City moments and attractions, see productions to rejuvenate my artistic soul and finally, spend some quality time with Nate.

All my love.  And deepest apology for the delay.

Charles (& Nate)