Melissa and Grandpa Dick at graduation!!!! Yup. You read that right. The Faulkners are moving again. Just about 2 years to the day that we moved to California, we will be relocating again. And it’s a big move. We are going to Boston. Ken has a fabulous opportunity clear on the other side of the country, so we are packing up the one daughter we have left at home, along with the big, hairy dog, and moving at the end of August to “beantown”. We will have to trade in our Oakland A’s gear for Red Sox wear, because we understand that once you cross the state line into Massachusetts the Red Sox chip is implanted when you aren’t looking and you will forever be “one of them”. I will fight to the death if they try to take away my “Packers chip”. That is SO NOT happening !!!!! This is not happening until the end of August after we get Melissa all settled into her new dorm room at University of Wisconsin.
When Ken started looking for a new job, (not too long after we got back to CA actually), we had NO plans to go to Boston. We actually wanted to go back to the Midwest and I had my heart set on Indianapolis. But some amazing things happened and a whole set of miracles took place in about a 48 window and we could no longer deny that we were not in charge and for whatever reason, this is the place that we are supposed to go to now. I know that Liz will think I am crazy but I am actually looking forward to the snow again. I love living in a place where there are defined seasons. Although, I don't think Boston gets quite as much snow as Madison and Idaho got this last year.
In other Faulkner Family news, thought I would let all of you know that Steven graduates from University of Wisconsin in December and he will be heading off right after Christmas to the South Pole!!!! He will have his own web site - www.southpolesteve.com. He will be the student engineer on the Ice Cube Project. He has been the student engineer on the project for the last 2 1/2 years in Madison and they are actually letting him go there for the summer season where it will be a balmy 16 degrees below zero!!!! he will be there for about 6-8 weeks. The professor that runs the program will probably win the Nobel Prize in the next 3-4 years. It is an amazing project and Steve will have a once in a lifetime experience!!!! And a Congressional Service Medal and a great pick-up line (which is the real reason he is going). He is actually hoping to get into graduate school in Boston in the next year. (Maybe this has something to do with us moving - not quite sure yet).
Betty and Tom Faulkner had to be evacuated from their home in Paradise during the recent Butte County fires, but they are back home and their house is safe. They say it's still a little smoky though because there are some fires still burning. tom had knee replacement surgery about 3-4 weeks ago and he is still hobbling around. Very hard to bounce back.
Dave Wilcox graduated from USF with a Masters in Finance at the end of May and he is now working for Tesla Motors in San Carlos. That is the totally upper end green car company that is manufacturing a "green" sports car ordered by only those people who can afford it - like the Governator of California - Ahnold". The commute is a killer, but we think he is finding the work interesting.
No big plans for the summer because ken will be leaving for Boston soon and we are just riding out the summer until we leave this fall. The family will miss us really bad, but everyone says they want to come and go to a Red Sox game. Right now I don't think they are worth watching!! Time for everyone to start posting - school is out and it's time to keep up with the family comings and goings !!!! So . . . . . . . . . and I do want to know if everyone is going to hold their nose and vote McCain (as long as Romney is on the ticket)???
