Well, I Got It

Most have heard by now: I was one of 5 new Model Builders offered jobs to work for Legoland California. One newspaper article quoted me as saying my acceptance of the position depended on the salary offer: immediately after talking with that reporter we were ushered into secret quarters and given our official offer letters. I was stoked beyond words, and signed the paperwork right then and there.

What does this mean for the family? Well, I report to work in a month. That gives us 30 days to find a new place to live, or I crash with friends or family down there so I can start working while Katie continues the search from home. We're hopeful we'll find a new home, though.

Katie's job was a huge concern for us. She earns more than me, and her boss relies on her a great deal. After she broke the news to him about my job offer, their discussion rather positively turned to talks of Katie working from our new home and driving up to the office to work a day or two every week (and stay with her parents while there!) If this pans out, not only will we still have two incomes, but we can scratch "Find Daycare for Carter" off our To-Do list!

For me this is a nearly $4/hr jump in pay, and working full-time means more hours than I ever had while I've been in school the last several years.

But wait, there's more! Full benefits include:
2 weeks paid vacation from the start!
Health, dental, vision, and life insurance a month after starting
401k six months after starting

Other awesome perks include:
30% discount on park shopping and food
Twice a year there are 50% off days on Lego. SWEET.
4 free passes to the park every quarter
Family Pass to the park Katie and Carter get in FREE anytime they want! Katie about jumped out of her seat with excitement when I told her this, she was so giddy.

There's more, but I don't remember all of it right now. Needless to say, we're super super excited, and we're looking forward to all the big changes, despite all the work and headaches it means to reshuffle our entire life.

Pardon the Dust

While working on updating my portfolio for the Legoland thing on Wednesday, I started messing around with the blog. Don't be surprised if things look different every time you come back, as we try to settle on a look we both like!

Job Prospects

40 resumes sent out and applications filled, and just one response back from a prospective employer.

Any ideas who that one response is from? (Hint: See last post)

Yep, Legoland! After hearing from friends who work in the park about the open position(s), I submitted my application and waited. Last Thursday, I got a call from the park and had a phone interview that lasted about 25 minutes. On Saturday I got an email confirmation that I was being invited to the park on Wednesday and Thursday of this week to participate/compete in a set of building challenges that, if I perform well in, will lead to another interview and hopefully landing the job.

Am I excited? You bet I am. Although it's not the kind of work I thought I'd be doing after graduation (TV jobs are not only hard to find, but don't seem interested in me), at least its work doing something I enjoy doing. The word is that because the model building workshop is expanding so much in anticipation of Legoland Malaysia, more positions will open up within the next 9 months, and those who already have jobs can look forward to promotions if they're good enough.

Getting this job would mean uprooting the whole family and moving down to the San Diego area, Katie would have to find a new job, and we'd likely have to find daycare for Carter. None of these things is fun even by themselves, and all of them at the same time is going to be a special kind of nightmare.

We'll keep everyone as updated as we can throughout the week. I head down to Carlsbad on Wednesday morning!

Star Wars Days at Legoland

This past Saturday we went to Legoland for the annual Star Wars Days. On Friday we drove down to San Diego and spent some time with Papa and stayed overnight at his place (thanks again, Papa!) We were at Legoland to help with the SandLug (San Diego Lego User Group) booth, but we also had time to walk around and go on some rides. It was a very fun day, especially once it stopped raining and the sun came out.

Carter quickly made friends with Bob the Builder.


Part of the SandLug display.


More of the SandLug display (the neon green pod racer is Ryan's).


Ryan's Sand Trooper.


Andy is victorious...Ryan is sad. (Chess set built by Brandon)


On the boat ride.


Ryan and Carter in Vegas.


Family picture with R2D2 and 3CPO...not sure why Carter looks so serious.


Nathan and I on Knight's Tournament. Ryan was on baby duty and we never made it back for him to have a turn...sorry honey :(


Carter on Thomas the Train.

ATTENTION EVERYONE

WE FOUND THE PUMP.

Another Haircut

Carter's hair was getting rather long, but I kept putting off giving him a haircut. Last night we decided to go ahead and cut his hair and make it a little shorter than last time. Here's our handsome little guy.

So adorable


Side view


Thanks again to Gary and Fradel for the balloon. The stick it was on ended up becoming more of a weapon, so we got rid of it. Carter doesn't seem to mind.


Check out that molar! Carter only has two teeth on the bottom, but that molar decided it was next. We discovered it when he was in the hospital, which explains the fever and possibly the ear infection.

Carter's Hospital Stay

As most of you know, Carter was taken to the hospital Friday evening because he was having seizures. In the ER they drew blood, put in an IV (this ended up being a major ordeal because they had a very hard time finding his veins), inserted a catheter to get a urine sample, did a CT scan, and did a spinal tap to check for meningitis. They also had to intubate him because he was having problems breathing during the seizures. Later that evening he was taken up to the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit) where he was sedated overnight. They were able to take the breathing tube out Saturday morning and he spent most of Saturday sleeping because his body was recovering from the seizures and the medication, but when he was awake he was not a happy kid. By Sunday he was doing much better and was able to go home. The doctors still don't know why he had these seizures, other than the fact that he had a fever. Here are some pictures of his hospital stay.

Our poor baby in his cage. I know he was in there for his own protection, but it was still a sad sight.


He was not excited about his cage either.


Eating jello.


Sleepy baby. Carter has not been a fan of cuddling since the time he learned to crawl, but he wanted to be held constantly at the hospital. He's one heavy kid!


"Is this gonna last forever?"


Gary and Fradel brought Carter a stuffed bear and this balloon. Thanks guys...it really did cheer him up, even though he doesn't look very happy in the picture.

My Hubby is a College Graduate!

Ryan graduated from Cal State Dominguez Hills last week Friday. Carter and I are so proud of him! Thank you to everyone who supported him along the way and all of you who were able to be here to celebrate with him. And a special thanks to my mom who was kind enough to watch Carter so I didn't have to worry about keeping him entertained during the 3 1/2 hour ceremony. Here are some pictures from his special day.

The graduates walking into the stadium.


In line to get his diploma.


Receiving his diploma.


The whole group.


The proud parents.


Proud wife.


Ryan's favorite part of the day...his party! I think he was excited for his party, but his friends made it a thousand times better when they gave him Lego and insisted he build the sets right then. :)

Happy 25th Birthday, Ryan!

Happy Birthday to my amazing hubby and Carter's awesome dada! We love you and hope you have a great birthday! I'm sure it will be your best birthday ever since you get to watch the LOST season finale on your special day! :)

Baby Ry Ry


All grown up with his Blackbird

:(

Dear Carnival Guest:

We will cancel the scheduled call in Ensenada for all Carnival Paradise 4 day sailings departing May 18 through June 15, 2009. Guests will be provided a $50 per person onboard credit as a refund of the Ensenada government fees and taxes.

We know you will enjoy your cruise aboard the beautiful Carnival Paradise. However, if this itinerary change is not acceptable to you, we will provide a future cruise credit in the amount you paid for this cruise and you can sail with us anytime prior to December 31, 2010. In order to be eligible for the future cruise credit, you must contact Carnival no later than Thursday, May 7, 2009 to advise cancellation of the current cruise. Please understand that refunds will not be provided.

Most importantly, we are looking forward to welcoming you aboard the Carnival Paradise. The Captain, officers, staff and crew are dedicated to providing you with a fun and memorable vacation.