AZDonna

I went to Boise last week to visit the Holsingers and see Megan in her dance recitals. Yes, I said recitals. She had two — a ballet recital on Friday evening and tap on Saturday afternoon. She has really improved since last year. It’s evident that she is learning a lot in her classes and is starting to exhibit her gift. She is quite graceful. I took some pictures and a couple of videos, which I’ll try to post soon.

Since I visit nearly every May, Robin usually saves my birthday and Mother’s Day gifts and celebrations until I come. I sometimes wonder if she has forgotten me when my special days come and go, but she has not failed me yet and always makes up for making me wait. This year she got me a video iPod. I’m so excited about it. I can load all my favorite CDs, plus download movies and audio books (I listen to lots of audio books!), and also put my digital photos and videos onto it. I’ve been having fun syncing it up with some of my personal media already.

Right after I arrived, Robin and I were gabbing in the kitchen and pretty soon Steven came down the stairs from Mommy’s bedroom, saying “Here’s Grandma’s iPod!” He was with Robin when she bought it and knew it was for me. Robin wasn’t quite ready to give it to me, but Steven had revealed the surprise! I won’t say “ruined the surprise”, because it was so cute.

The weather was cooler than the forecast, and I wasn’t quite prepared for that. I only had a couple of sweaters with me, but I stayed inside a good part of the time. My last day (Wednesday) turned beautiful, and Robin and I took a walk around the Eagle marketplace.

We lost another mask designer back to Intel last week. That’s 5 of the 23 who went to Marvell. We are really feeling the impact of the missing help, and management is trying to hire replacements quickly. I think they’re also trying to figure out why there’s the rapid attrition in just our group. Very few engineers have left, but more than 21% of the MDs have gone back to Intel. The recent results of the SEC investigation, shakeup of the executives, and continuing possibility of de-listing certainly haven’t helped bolster anyone’s confidence, but I’m still hopeful this is going to be a good employer. I do miss the Intel campus though, where I could walk 2 miles every day without going out in the heat. 🙁

May is nearly gone, and Memorial Day weekend is giving me a chance to catch up on work around the house, empty my suitcases, and R&R. I hope you are enjoying the holiday. Take a moment to remember those who have fought and sacrificed for our freedom.

I was at a women’s retreat this past weekend in Williams, Arizona. We had snow! We arrived on Friday afternoon, and by 9:00 p.m. little flakes were wafting down. When we awoke on Saturday, there was a white blanket about 2 inches thick all over everything. It melted off by mid-morning, but was pretty while it lasted. We had more flurries late Saturday afternoon, but then the weather seemed to change a bit and it was not as cold that night. Sunday was a beautiful, crisp day until we rolled back into Phoenix at about 3:00.

One of the speakers we had was a young woman who had attempted suicide on January 2, 2000 when she was 15 years old by lying down on railroad tracks in front of an oncoming train. It took both of her legs, but not her life. She turned her life to the Lord as a result and now shares her testimony with others all over the country. It was a powerful story, and she’s an amazing young woman. One of our retreat leaders saw her on the Oprah show and contacted her from there.

I enjoyed the getaway, and the time with my two girlfriends, Glenda and Jan.