Bragfest

Pardon me while I embark on a quick little bragfest! I just can't help myself.

Celebratory item #1: RYAN FINISHED GRAD SCHOOL!!!!! OFFICIALLY! If you read this often you may remember us traveling to Chicago and Indiana to attend Ryan's Purdue graduation ceremony. While we celebrated his accomplishments then, we really ought to be celebrating now because he is officially DONE! Ryan has been working insanely hard for the past 2+ years, and I'd say over the past six months (at least) he's been putting in an AVERAGE of 15 hours a day, 7 days a week (and that is probably a conservative estimate). So, congratulations Ryan. We are so proud of you and can't wait to have you close to us again! In fact, Dad flies to Chicago tomorrow to keep Ryan company as he makes the long drive back to the Northwest.

Celebratory Item #2: After only two months of working at Pat's new company, Griptonite, he was already promoted to Lead Animator!! I'm not sure I've really talked about Pat leaving Bungie, so I'll give a quick update here. We took a huge leap of faith and moved to Redmond last year so Pat could work for his dream company, Bungie Studios. We moved even though it was only a one-year contract. Rational and responsible people (new parents at that) probably wouldn't have made the decision to move, but we are not always rational or responsible. :) Anyway, Pat soaked up each day of his year at Bungie, but when the contract came to an end they no longer needed his services. So, the week of Quinn's birthday also happened to be Pat's last week at Bungie. Luckily, Pat was able to find a job immediately at Griptonite Studios. The vibe seems to be more laid back at Griptonite, and Pat was hoping that this might be a company where he could grow in terms of his leadership skills. Yesterday, Pat came home saying that they were talking about possibly making him lead animator on the project that he is working on, and today it became official! I couldn't believe how fast that happened for him, and I couldn't be more proud! Congratulations Mi Amore!