July 11, 2012

The Haws Family of Angra

Mom and Dad,

With a little spare time I thought that I would write a short note on our week.

The boys just went through the last week of testing for the semester. Wednesday begins winter break, yes that was winter I said. Winter break will last until the end of the month and I already feel tired.

Felipe and Lucas should be going to soccer tournaments. Felipe will be playing in Rio and Lucas will be participating in try-outs in São Paulo at a professional team. Both are excited.

Derick is pleased to get a break from school. He has done well and is a very good student.

Renata has been busy. Several of us have been sick on and off over the last couple of weeks and Renata has been overwhelmed trying to take care of everyone.

As to myself, I have been having a lot of fun at work. There are several interesting projects that I have been working on. I had been working through weather data for some time, now that those applications are stable I have been working on a distribution system for managing the increasing number of reports that are being sent. I have also been working on expanding our current set up so that I can manage more computers easily. These tasks have been exciting for me and have taught me to think in very different ways than I had a few months ago. I am very pleased.

That is all from us. We are well and hope you are too.

Love,
Jeff


Grant's News

Grant had a bit of a bumpy week at work. Nothing catastrophic, just a couple of rough days. A friend from work has been gone for the last week on vacation and that throws him off his groove a bit. Otherwise, Grant was excited to be off work the 4th of July, because working in a restaurant over a big grilling day is kind of cruddy. No business at all. So he was thankful to get the spend the day at home relaxing rather than guarding an empty restaurant. Thanks to the hot and muggy weather, the wildflowers here are springing up all over the place. Some of the wildflowers are over a month early. And of course, Grant was excited for July 5th, the official start of back to school sales at stores.

The Haws Family of Colorado

This past week we have been trying to stay busy doing activities as a family. On Monday we went to a Sesame Street play put on by the USO. It was kind of ironic that we went to it because it was about moving to new places and meeting new people. On Wednesday we went swimming to celebrate the 4th of July since they had cancelled all of the other celebrations around town due to the fire. On Thursday we enjoyed the morning at the zoo. The girls were excited because they were able to see the gorillas eating. Saturday Haley and Kayla made a Penske truck at home depot. Luckily we went in the morning, because by the afternoon it was pouring down rain. It also poured down rain after church on Sunday. We are very grateful for the rain even if it does come down all at once.

The Jackson Family of Albuquerque

Kevin, Stacie and Henry has a wonderful week and enjoyed extra time together on Wednesday, since Stacie had the day off of work. They celebrated Canada Day and Independence Day with grilling. On Saturday Kevin was grateful to take some time to golf with his friends. Stacie spent lots of time snuggling Henry. The Jacksons are counting down the days until Grant arrives, along with Carolyn, Brent and Claire Hirz.

The Haws Family of Wisconsin

Wisconsin continues to swelter in the heat. Thankful it is a bit cooler but this week compared to last but heat is heat and we specialize in humidity. We could really use some rain for the crops but my garden appreciates the fact that hoses can bring water when the clouds don't.

We have enjoyed soccer games and family time this last few days. On the 4th we went to the branch pancake breakfast. Later that day Logan, Lanette and I went over to Julie and Jeff's to do some painting and helping out. Logan mowed the lawn and Lanette helped hold Alex. It worked out pretty well. That evening we can home to a delicious meal that Grant and Mom had waiting for us.

Logan's final soccer game was last night. They lost but overall they had a very successful season. Logan will be joining the Columbus soccer program in a few weeks so it is nice to have a break for awhile from practices and games.

One of the fun things we have been doing is eating healthier and exercising more. I know that I feel better and I hope everyone else is too.

We are all looking forward to vacations. Grant will be off to Albuquerque. Lanette will stay here. Yes, of course, with the Elmhorst family. Logan, Kellie and I will be off to Nauvoo to meet up with Julie, Jeff, Alex and Andy, Melanie, Haley and Kayla. It will be great to be together and we look forward to seeing all of you during the coming year.

Love,

Dad