The Chris and Theresa Givans' Job Hunt

I almost forgot to post (sorry, Grandma!) because after I got Grandpa's email reminder I was going to wait until I'd heard back from my best job prospect, but that's taking longer than I'd hoped. It's a Site Supervisor position at a retired Minuteman Missile Launch Control Facility in North Dakota. Basically, it's where two airmen would go underground for 24 hours at a time in case they had to unleash armageddon and the associated living facilities topside. It controlled 15 missiles and there were 10 launch control facilities in each wing. At the height of the Cold War we had over 600 missiles controlled from these sorts of places, some of them fitted with multiple bombs. Fittingly, today is the anniversary of the first nuclear weapon ever used in war, something I think we have to avoid romanticizing or praising and, accordingly, I'd try to bring some of the ethical depth to the facility besides just the science questions.

Above Ground

Below Ground

It'd be a good job for us—it's located near a small town (which I like), it pays well, it's basically closed from Nov-May (which would let Theresa fulfill her travel dreams and me avoid most people), and has a small enough job pool that they seem willing to give me a chance. I conducted a phone interview and am waiting to hear back on an in-person interview, although I can't tell how the phone interview went...they gave no indications during the process that I could pick up on. For more information on the place, search Google for Oscar Zero.

That's just one of 14 applications I've sent out, plus the ones Theresa has. Our next best hopes are in Davenport, IA though that one is dwindling by the day, and a job in Cleveland that would let us stick to our original plan for moving.

More applications are in the works, but in the meantime we just keep working at the library (me) and Cos (Theresa) and kind of hating both.

Happy times with Family

When we posted last we were just finishing the fun events of Easter.  May brought closing programs for Olivia and Adelynn with both school and dance.  I also retired and have been on the go with lots of summer fun since then.  I really don't think I will feel that I am retired until everyone is back at school.  Right now I hope to volunteer at the Early Learning Center at church where Auntie and I will be doing puppets again.  Plus I would like to hold the babies at Wesley in Wichita but need to do some more investigating on this.  I also plan on helping with grandchildren wherever needed and any other family things.  It will be a good adventure!  Randy has been doing his heavy traveling for teaching since we last posted.  He is usually gone through the week and home weekends but has been able to be involved with the grandchildren as well.  Now for our events in pictures. 

Retirement apple from USD308 and cupcakes from Faris celebration.  The kids had a nice get together for me as well at Charles' house which I enjoyed a lot. 

Grandma enjoying Mother's Day.

Grandpa enjoying opening his gifts on Father's Day.

Adelynn, Ava, and Ollie came over to play with the Barbie pool.  Ollie had his own Barbie small pool but also enjoyed getting in the girls.

In June, Adelynn and Ava attended VBS across the street at ORL so they came to my house in the mornings before it started.  We had time to play a little.

June 21-27, we were able to go and babysit Aurora.  She loves to swing so we made a trip to the park every day!

Sunday, June 25, we went to the Bronx Zoo with Mary, Kurtis, and Aurora. 

The zoo had a lovely place to get lunch away from the crowds.

July 4th breakfast.

Watching the parade and enjoying the treats and flags gotten.

July 10-17, Olivia, Kinley, and Emily stayed with us while Sarah and Dan went on a cruise.  We were able to enjoy time with the cousins at Ave. A splash park.  Everyone had fun including Grandpa. 

Sand fun at Dillon Nature Center.  As you can see Oliver enjoyed the little water table while the girls were making a river.

Family dinner on July 14 brought puzzle fun with Kinley.  She had everyone in the room helping her put a puzzle together in a very special way! 

We hope you are all enjoying your summer and staying cool with this horrible heat!

Hello!

As you all know, we have been deep in newborn baby land, so our apologies for not being on time with this post. I had all of the best intentions to FINALLY post in our actual week since I am on maternity leave. But I am only off by a few days this time!

Theo is doing great. He just started smiling (intentionally) a few days ago, which is so fun. He especially likes to grin at Andrew when he comes home from work.

He is growing quite fast and is over 11lbs already! (He was born at 7lb 7oz). We think he is in the midst of a growth spurt, as he's been eating and sleeping more for the past day or two.

We have had lots of guests come in town, which has been really fun. Since Hannah was here in June, we have had one of my bridesmaids, Kate, come visit from France, my grandparents from North Carolina, my brother and his wife from Cincinnati, and today our friend Mike gets here from Los Angeles. Theo is definitely more popular than we ever were on our own! 😊

We are looking forward to seeing Vicki and Tim when they stop by on their way home from Minnesota, and Erik as he traverses through on an Ultimate trip. We are also planning a few evenings to go see the Chicago Symphony play at Ravinia, an outdoor concert venue. Hopefully Theo will be agreeable to that, too!

I go back to work on August 10th, but we are soaking in the baby time before then! When I go back, Theo will spread out his week with two days at home with Andrew, two at daycare, and one with my mom.

Here are some photos from the past few weeks. Feel free to ask Tim or Vicki to share, we send them dozens!

June 17th (3.5 weeks old)

June 18 - Father's Day

June 23 (4.5 weeks old) - We think this was his first real-ish smile. But now he is definitely there!
Mary & Kurtis - thanks for the clothes! You may recognize this one :)

July 4 (6 weeks old) - We got him noise cancelling headphones for the parade and fireworks. They worked! He slept through both of them. You will also notice that he has lost almost all of the hair he was born with.

July 4 (6 weeks old) - Had to decorate the carrier!

XOX,
Katie, Andrew, and Theo

Tolleson Summer Fun!

Happy 4th of July to everyone! Here are a few pictures from the last month.

The Mount Holyoke College front gate and clock tower - I was finally able to share the campus with James, 11 years later!

Not far from MHC is The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, a must see for James.

We were there for prime rhododendron viewing season! They are everywhere in Massachusetts and absolutely beautiful!

With our rental car, we drove out to Cape Cod and stayed in Falmouth, MA where I spent the summer after my freshman year at MHC working at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. As you can tell we hit a rather cloudy moment, but that meant we were not competing for beach space or sitting in traffic to cross the bridge on to the Cape.

We then made our way to NYC to visit the Rutherfords! It was a blast to hang out with Mary, Kurtis, and Aurora. She's growing up so quickly!

One of my friends from MHC, Karen, whom many of you met at our wedding, just had a baby. I was fortunate to make my way to Maryland to visit her, her husband, and Evelyn who you see in the picture.

The baby tour continued in Chicago where I got to meet Theo!!! He is precious. It was great to just sit with Andrew and Katie and watch all of his facial expressions.

The timing allowed me to help Andrew celebrate the big 30! We took this picture before walking to the local farmer's market.

Back in Austin, we had the pleasure of hosting the Rivers! It was a whole new Austin experience as we checked out the more kid friendly venues: Austin Aquarium (pictured above), The Thinkery (children's museum), a water park, the miniature train in Zilker Park, the Nature and Science Center, lots of yummy food, and fun with toys.

Olivia has the lemonade making genes!

Dan, Emily, and Kinley playing a PVC pipe instrument at the Thinkery.

I completed my annual summer puzzle and Duncan thought it was the perfect place for a nap.

Erik stopped in for most of a day before an Ultimate Frisbee tournament in Dallas. We went kayaking/paddle boarding on the lake downtown and ate Tex Mex food. Then Mom, Dad, and Samuel drove down for a July 4th weekend visit. We took Dad to Pinballz, an arcade of pinball machines, to celebrate Father's Day.

We checked out Mayfield Park, which is an historic home in Austin where peafowl (peacocks, peahens, and peachicks) roam. The owners were given a pair of peafowl for Christmas in the 1930s and their descendants have made the home and surrounding land their own. There are beautiful flower gardens and trails to follow from the house down to the river.

An updated picture of the garden. We've harvested a few peppers and herbs and are looking forward to the fennel and strawberries that will be ready soon.

We added some spinach, which loves to climb, zucchini, and squash!

A pepper which is supposed to eventually turn red.

Mom, Samuel, and I pickled jalapenos! Yum!

Sending love and prayers from Austin! We look forward to seeing everyone soon.

Hannah and James