New Job--Kelly

After 7 months of being a 'floater pharmacist', meaning I mainly worked at my home store but had to occasionally fill in at other stores, I finally got a full-time position at a Hy-vee store. My new job will be at the Hy-vee in Ankeny, just North of Des Moines. I am very excited about this move because it means I will not have to 'float' anymore and I will be paid by the store instead of corporate. My start date is Feb. 12 and I am looking forward to working with two pharmacists that I have worked with before as a student and truly enjoyed. I am also excited for the opportunity to start some clinical programs at the store such as blood pressure checks, cholesterol screenings and perhaps a diabetes program. There were several applicants for this position so I feel privilaged to get the job, I had to sweat it out for 2 weeks while they finished interviews and made their decision. Paul and I are attending a wedding in Phoenix in mid-February so I'll have nice pictures and more to post then. Hope everyone is doing well--way to go Mary Jo and family on toughing out the ice storm!!
Love,
Kelly

STRESSED TO THE MAX!!!!!

Well, I think from the title you can guess who this is. So no need for any more introductions! I'm sitting here talking to my friend online, blogging and reading a textbook for class! Talk about multitasking! Hehehe.

I suppose you want to know what classes I'm in this term so heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere we go. I'm taking a Meteorology class at Doane. It's really fun and interesting. I've been fascinated with weather, so this was a PERFECT elective that I could take! I'm also taking Small Group Communications at Doane! I hate that book and I really hate the homework that we are doing for the class because it is very hard. But it's not too bad otherwise. I'm taking Criminology at CCC. Currently, I'm working on a 3,000 word paper on Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber. I'm also working on a 2-5 page paper on tornadoes for meteorology. I'm certainly keeping busy!

Oh and not to complain and whine, but I have all that, plus a test in Criminology to study for on Wednesday, homework in Small Group due Thursday, and meteorology homework also due Wednesday! So I'm just rolling along trying to get my homework done and remain sane! So far it's barely working! But that's what I'm doing now.

The job is going okay. I would like to quit and get a different one because this one is stressful and on top of that, they want to start making me come in at 6 am!!! Yikes! I'm not a morning person as you all know, so really there's not much I can do! But they want us to work like 6-2 five days a week and I don't know if I'm up for that! So I'm looking into other Criminal Justice jobs. But the boys sure give me a run for my money! I mean, at times they push us just to see how far they could go on us. No luck...but sometimes they do push the right buttons.

Well, that's all from me. I just wanted to update you on what's going on in my life. OH and we're getting new carpet! Perhaps I'll post some pics of it when it's done! But for now, that's all. Talk to you all later!

From Nancy

Good evening, dear family, from a winter wonderland. We've had snow most of the day, so everything is covered and looks beautiful. The flakes are small and dry so there is no chance of us losing electricity like central Nebraska and that's a good thing. My pioneer spirit is long gone so I don't think I could have weathered the storm as well as Mary Jo did.
I'm sending pictures of our Bull Christmas that was fun, as usual. Connie will have to fill you in on the extra person in the Talbott family.
Debbie, Allison and I got to attend the Final Four at the Qwest Center and it was thrilling; some other volleyball fan took this picture of us before the game.
Our basement saga is not yet over. We did get a new pipe and carpet pad. The carpet has been restretched and laid down and all that's left is to clean it; then finally, we can rearrange furniture and have our basement back. On Saturday our washing machine died. Since it was our original, bought in 1972 and it did yeoman's service for over three decades, I suppose it was time, but on top of the pipe break, it's a bit much. I would much rather do something new, like Suki's kitchen remodeling. Send some pictures of that so we can see your project, plz.
Stay warm, everyone!!
Love,
Nancy

Happy New Year from Suki!

Hi to all on this snowy day,

I had a list of errands to run today, but I'm pretty toasty warm at home watching the playoffs and picking up the house. The Bears won today so we know Zac will be very happy. Speaking of Zac, I saw the photo in the OWH and I'm anxious to see what clever captions were sent in by the public.

I enjoy reading all the blog additions, so thanks to all of you who take the time to post. I'm thinking I'm not near as tough as Mary Jo or Janice when it comes to those words you don't put together - freezing temps and no power! My only experience was the 8 hours of no electricity we had during the October 1995 ice storm where the girls and I bundled up on one bed dressed as if we were climbing Mt. Everest.

Cassi has been home since Dec. 15 and heads back Thursday. It's been fun having her here and sadly we realize this is probably her last winter break with us. Next year she'll move out of the sorority house and into another house. It reminds me of the first year Niki moved into her first apartment while still at NWU and she had to remind me she wasn't coming home for summers anymore. That was sad.

We're still in the midst of remodeling our kitchen. It's good we have no timelines for this because nothing seems to happen on the day we expect it. Occasionally it may disrupt our dinner plans, but then we just have to plan on eating out or bringing in. :o) Just a sacrifice you have to make.

Our Vegas trip was a blast! It was good to see my family and the girls had a great time with their cousin, Tony. They went VIP clubbing at Pure, the hot night club at Ceasar's Palace and were amazed at the drink prices ($24 shots of Patrón? $8 for bottled water? Are you kidding me?) Here are a few pictures of that event. My second Vegas trip for work, 12 days after my return, was good but uneventful. One day I will learn that being on my feet for 11 hours straight for two full days is worth hemming my pants, giving up the heels and buying some cute flats.

Janice, of course the Stamps (3 of us) plan on making the trip to the wedding. I'm sure I can speak for the Strotman's as well, but Niki will let you know for sure. We wouldn't miss it.

Otherwise, we're all fine and we think of all who are affected by the elements. Two of the local weather stations here predicted earlier that we are to get about 3" of snow in January, 7" in February and 11" in March. Gasp! Hold on folks, it's going to be a long, long winter!

Love to all,
Suki

Omaha World Herald - Janice

If you get the World Herald as your daily paper, you may have noticed that there was a picture of Kelly and Zac from Dad's 80th birthday party in last Monday's 'Creative Captions' column. It was taken during the clean-up process and general goofing around, apparently. I understand that the proposed captions to the funny pic will be published in this Monday's paper (1/15/07). Thought you might want to follow the family celebrity status. ** This is Elissa...I'm adding the link for my mom: Kelly & Zac **

All the pictures of your amazing ice storm make me think of a similar storm we experienced in Beatrice, 1980. It was a much smaller area that was effected, I believe, but very similar results. I recall walking outside in the yard to admire the beauty when major limbs started to crack and fall around us. We were forced to admire from indoors for the sake of safety. We had no electricity for 3 days. It must have been possibly November or December, and not particularly cold in the following days, thank heavens, as we were able to keep the main floor of the old house at least 50 degrees by keeping a fire in the little potbelly stove in the basement and the fireplace in the living room going 24 hours a day. The wood had to be chipped out of the icy wood pile, which was no small feat. We slept in the living room to keep the fire stoked and keep warm. We had Zac, 2, and a very sick Elissa at the time. With all her spitting up, I remember the biggest problem was not being able to do laundry. Our old bathtub was heaped with laundry by the time the power came back on.

We are having a very mild winter this year, with more rain than snow. I'm actually hoping for at least one more pretty snow before it's over.

Love to you all,

Janice

Ice Storm Central

Suzanne and I are sitting here enjoying having electricity to stay warm and run the computer. A week ago tonight, our power went off and we woke to see the freezing drizzle had coated everything in a layer of ice. See above picture of the rose bush and our poor, pathetic, snow crab apple tree. We were without power from 1 AM Sunday to 10:30 AM Tuesday. There were 9 poles laying on their side across the road from our house. We had friends who took us in for hot meals, hot showers in the evening, but we stayed here overnight. The temperature got to about 40 degrees by the last morning in our house.

I'm enclosing the picture of me eating breakfast New Year's morning and wearing gloves and curlers to tame my "bedhead" obtained from wearing a hooded coat all night in bed. And yes my nose is red. We were very thankful to see the hardworking utilities crew across the road from us New Years morning. By that night, the power was restored. Unfortunately, our circuit box had blown the main breaker and we had to call an electrician in Tuesday morning. We would not be good pioneers.

2006 in Review from the Wiles

December 31, 2006
If you are a regular reader of the blog, this is how you will be receiving your Christmas letter from us this year. (Click on the pictures for a larger view).


Zac ended a long run as student and ref in Lincoln, Nebraska, last February. He is currently living in Naperville and working in a law office in Joliet. The law office included an unexpected benefit, his pretty new girlfriend Stephanie.





Janice’s dad celebrated his 80th birthday in April in small town style with an open house at the Yutan Country Club, where nearly 300 friends and relatives gathered to celebrate this milestone.



The fun continued in May as friends and family gathered in Des Moines on Mothers’ Day weekend to celebrate as Kelly graduated from Drake University with her Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Dr. Kelly, as we like to call her, is now employed by HyVee, as the ‘friendly smile in every aisle’ in Des Moines. She is shown here with her boyfriend, Paul.




In August, Ed and Janice celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary in Las Vegas. No, we don’t gamble, but we loved the Cirque de Soleil ‘O’ show and Hoover Dam. And Chicago was experiencing such a heat wave, that the dry air in Vegas actually felt refreshing!


Elissa pleased us this fall by announcing her engagement to Matt Bright. The event is scheduled for Sept. 22, 2007, in Kansas City. Elissa is pleased to still work at Johnson County Community College, where she has had a few different jobs in student services.


In October we vacationed in Connecticut with good friends. The fall colors and weather were glorious! We stayed at the shore and slept with windows open to hear the waves. I see why the natives who move to the Midwest still miss that sound.


November found us on a road trip visiting all living relatives – almost. We had Thanksgiving dinners in Oklahoma and Nebraska.

With all those smiles & miles behind us, we enjoyed a busy, wonderful Christmas season here in Naperville. December included a beautiful snowfall, a Naperville Men’s Glee Club Christmas concert, and special services at our church. We are looking forward to a gourmet dinner party with good friends on New Year’s Eve; then our year will be complete.

Wishing you a blessed New Year!
from the Wiles Family