AZDonna

About a month ago, rumors started circulating around my office that the company was going to layoff a bunch of employees. The rumors speculated from 10% to 50%. Some said it would be parts of every team, and others said it was mostly management who would be cut. Last week, the buzz focused on November 29th, right after third quarter results were announced.

The earnings release last Tuesday (November 27th) did indeed announce headcount cuts of approximately 400 employees by the end of Q4.

When I went into the office the next morning at 7:30, my manager came by and asked me to go with him to a conference room. I tried to tell him I was very busy and couldn’t do that (comic relief?), but followed him with a pounding heart. The first thing he said after we sat down was, “You have a job.” I dropped my head down and said “Thank you!” But my heart was heavy because I knew not everyone would get the same message. He then told me to pack up and go home for the day. They didn’t want those who were being retained to be around while they gave the news to the laid off employees. I wasn’t allowed to speak to anyone before leaving.

Later that afternoon, I got an email from a co-worker letting me know that at least six mask designers had been let go. I didn’t hear from anyone else that day. When I went in the next morning, I found that eight out of fifteen MDs had been laid off, and about half of the engineering team. Our entire Arizona office lost nearly 100 employees.

Have you heard of “survivor’s guilt”? That’s what I’m feeling. I’m so glad to have my job, but heartbroken for those who lost their jobs right before Christmas. One manager said it was the hardest day of his career to have to let so many of his employees go. Many have large families to support, and bills to pay, and health insurance needs. There was a severance package given which will get them through a month or two, but I’m sure most will be scrambling for work anywhere they can find it.

The dynamic in the office has changed significantly. Organizational changes were announced yesterday. We have now become a support organization to the project teams in Santa Clara. I still report to my same supervisor — for now — but we report up into a different manager and department.

Some are speculating that these cuts may not be all and that by the end of next year, we could be down even more. I suspect there will be some voluntary attrition, as some people won’t like the new structure. As for me, as I said before I’m thankful to have my job and I’m willing to do whatever they want me to do for as long as I can.

My prayers go out for my friends who didn’t get that choice.

Lauren has been getting Hippotherapy every week for the past year or so. Hippotherapy does not have anything to do with hippopotamuses. The term literally means “treatment with the help of the horse” from the Greek word, “hippos” meaning horse.

Lauren missed one of her sessions last week, and had a make-up session on Friday morning. Since I was off that day, I went to the stables to watch (for the first time). The therapist not only works with Lauren while she’s riding, but also incorporates therapy into the preparation for riding and putting the horse away. Lauren doesn’t really like all the grooming work, but it’s part of the session and she must learn to go through the steps and to be patient. Then she gets to ride. During her ride, she works with flashcards, songs, and positioning for strength and balance. Judging from the smiles on her face and the chattering and singing she did while riding around the corral, I would say she loves it.

Nathan goes along most days, and he gets to be a helper, too. He stands right beside Lauren and does all the brushing and preparation with her, then helps lead the horse to the corral and open the gate. At that point, he sometimes has to go back out and just watch, but sometimes, he gets a ride on another horse while Lauren is riding. He loves it so much, Carrie has started him in real riding lessons. (His riding instructor was not there yesterday, so I didn’t get to see him ride, but Carrie says he has learned to mount, handle the horse all by himself, and can trot a little bit and do figure eights already.)

I posted some pictures in Lauren’s photo gallery. You can see them here.

Hope had surgery yesterday. I’ll spare the details, but suffice it to say she’ll never be a mommy. I’ll also never again have to deal with that mess all over my kitchen floor every six months.

She also had her teeth cleaned while she was under anesthetic. She sure smelled sweet last night. Holly is next (teeth cleaning only — she already can’t have puppies!)

I posted pictures of our California vacation here.

I am just getting around to posting some pictures from Nathan’s 5th birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Parlor.

We had a beautiful day today. We got up early and called our hotel in Escondido. They said the air was clearing of smoke, so we drove down to Legoland. It turned out to be clear enough to see the blue sky most of the day.

Legoland is definitely for kids. The boys had fun riding rides, and playing with Lego blocks, and getting wet. When we came in, there was a sign stating our tickets would be good for a second day anytime before the end of February 2008. This was possibly to make up for their unexpected closure, as it sure seemed unnecessary to compensate us for anything today. The park had a very small crowd, and we wandered around and walked right on to rides everywhere.

Not so at Disneyland yesterday. Our Wednesday visit was great, with 5-10 minute wait lines everywhere, but Thursday was a zoo! California Adventure was wide open (we rode Soarin’ twice with only a 5 minute wait each time) and we spent half a day there, then walked across the promenade to Disneyland at about 2:30. Whew! We were glad we had been able to do what we wanted the previous day, as most of the lines were 30-40 minutes that afternoon. We took it slow and did the less popular rides (Tiki Room, Adventures of Pooh, Matterhorn). Brian and Carrie picked up a Fast Pass to Space Mountain and rode that late in the evening while Nathan and I went to Toon Town).

My grandsons LOVE the roller coasters! Robin and Ken went to Disneyland a couple weeks ago, and Robin told me Steven rides everything that he is tall enough for. So does Nathan. He stretched as high as he could to just make the height requirement on a couple of them. He wants to try them all!

We are heading to Sea World tomorrow and then home on Sunday. Hopefully, the weather will be nice again.

Mia and Poppa have been caring for Lauren, and they are having a super fun time at a local hotel this weekend.

When we were checking in to our hotel this evening, there were several fire fighters coming in and out of the lobby. We hear the hotel is giving rooms to them. They sure looked weary. I asked how things were going, and they said most fires are contained except the Witch fire, which is about 50% contained. Unfortunately, what’s been left behind is pretty disheartening. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those who have lost so much this week.