Hi all!!
Hope this letter finds you well. Dean and I have had an exciting summer. I have so much to tell you I don’t know where to begin. I suppose chronologically would make sense.
Dean finished off the hockey season last spring with the Milwaukee Admirals, and did very well. They made it to the second round of playoffs and ended up getting eliminated by the team that ultimately won the championship. He got a lot of ice time and scored more goals there in 10 weeks than he did all season in Grand Rapids. It pays to have a good coach who believes in you, I guess. I drove back and forth between Milwaukee and Grand Rapids that last month I was there and got to see some of his games at the Bradley Center and at the Rosemont in Chicago. The Bradley Center is huge, they played in front of about 15,000 people regularly - that was exciting.
I spent April going back and forth between Michigan and Alaska. I had applied with ad agencies in Seattle, Minneapolis, Denver, and I sent only 2 resumes to Anchorage. The Nerland Agency in Anchorage was the only one that bit and they made me a very nice offer. I interviewed for two days and they ended up offering me a higher position with more responsibility by the time we were finished, so I must’ve impressed them. There are 25 employees and I report to the President (Rick Nerland) - he’s a really good guy, I like him a lot. I love working there, it’s everything that I’ve always thought an ad agency should be. It’s a creative powerhouse and the atmosphere is so fun all the time. Even the decor is fun. There are teal walls and yellow walls, teal leather couches in the reception area and games and things to stimulate creativity everywhere - Rubik’s cubes and other tavern toys, putting greens, hula hoops, basketball hoops, there’s even a heavy bag hanging back in the creative area for those really rough days when you need to get out frustrations (people really do use it - it’s great!) There’s a whole area set up and designed especially for brainstorming sessions and the formal conference room is designed for client presentations. There’s always music playing and laughter and yet, people work their hind-ends off. It’s not uncommon to see the AE’s or the Creative Director there still working at 7:00 - 8:00 at night. They love what they do and it shows. And it’s contagious - it’s a great team to be on. I plan on staying for quite a while.
Rick is paying for my college tuition, too, so I’m back in school hacking away at that MBA. I’m on schedule to graduate in the spring with a 4.0 and have already begun work on my thesis. It should be interesting, I’m going to try to quantify the value of having a corporate intranet. The Nerland Agency has an interactive department where we do CD-ROM development, interactive kiosks and a large amount of corporate intranet content, so hopefully my research can be used as a tool for us to acquire more clients like that. We’re working on a pitch right now that could be worth a million dollars to the agency if we get it. I’d meet my entire years quota in one fell swoop, so I’m working like crazy to pull it together. We give the presentation in two weeks and they’ll probably take a month or more to decide. If we get it, it will definitely be party-time in Anchorage that night!!! I’ll keep you posted.
If all goes according to plan, I’ll graduate the first of May, then deliver a baby a couple weeks later. Yes, we’re pregnant again, and taking it very easy this time. I’ve stopped working out for the time being and do a lot of studying laying flat on my back on the couch!! My first doctor appointment is in two weeks, so I’ll at least wait to get the okay from him then. We’ll see. Dean is a gem, he cooks breakfast every day and calls 2-3 times a day to check on me. My big, rough, macho, professional wrestler wanna-be has turned into a pussycat. Ha - bless his heart. We’re just about 6 weeks along now (the heart just started beating, according to my books - way cool) so we have about 2 weeks to go, to beat our last record. I sure hope this little guy hangs on, we’re excited all over again. I said last time that we would probably wait to tell anybody the next time it happened, just to make sure, but we can’t stand it. I took four tests that morning, just to be sure it was positive. What an obsessive, eh?
We closed on our very first home the same day we found out we were pregnant. Talk about a big day for the Trboyevich’s. I didn’t think closing was ever going to come for this condo! We lived out of a suitcase for 4 months while we waited for it to be built, then, because of complications with the builders financing, we had to wait another month to close. It was ridiculous. Apparently, Dean & I were the only ones in the association that wanted to go with conventional financing (we wanted to put 20% down), so the builder never qualified for that type of financing. When we made our offer, and told them that’s what we were going to do, they had to jump through a bunch of hoops and pay a $2500 fee for us to be able to do that. So that drug it out longer that it should have. But, we’re in and settled and life is good. I love the place - it’s 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage, about 1800 square feet. I got to pick out all the colors and had some custom things done, like a jacuzzi tub and a gas fireplace. I had a french door put into the office and it’s so pretty!! Dean doesn’t see the practicality in having see through doors inside the house, but he tolerates it because I love it. Ha. What a guy.
We did discover, however, upon unpacking our stuff, that we’d had a bunch of things stolen (by the movers in Grand Rapids) Every time I find something else missing, I just get livid. I get furious all over again and it takes me hours to calm down. I’ve never been so angry in all my life. We’ve valued everything that’s missing so far at over $10,000. Our stereo and all of our CD’s are gone (about 300), my pearls and other random stuff - blankets, trivets, some books, all my software CD’s, my calculators, my Bible, and even our college degrees, which I thought was really odd. I think they were probably just in the box with something else that they wanted. I’m fighting with the moving company right now, but they tell me that they’re only liable for .60 / lb. I screamed at the guy on the phone “How much do you think a rope of pearls weigh???!!! You’re telling me you’re only going to reimburse me .60 for a $1500 string of pearls!!!???” I was totally irrational at that point. I’ve since talked with a lawyer and the police in Grand Rapids are investigating it. Just so everyone knows, DO NOT use University Movers in Grand Rapids. If they don’t make this right, and soon, I’m going to hassle them to death. I’m going to write the ombudsman and the editors of all the local rags. I’ve never been a vengeful person, but I’ve never wanted to hurt somebody so bad in all my life. There’s nothing worse than a thief. I know that it’s all material, and can be replaced, but the Bible was a gift from my brother’s wife, when I was 14, the year after he died, and the pearls were a family heirloom - a gift from my grandmother. I wore them on my wedding day as my “something old.” They had such sentimental value and it makes me sick to think that they’re probably in some sleazy pawn shop somewhere in Michigan. I haven’t been able to bring myself to tell grandma yet. I keep hoping they’ll turn up. We had insurance, so everything is covered, but I want the movers to pay for it, if at all possible, and I think it’s worth the fight.
Anyway, if I stay on this subject, I’m going to work myself up again. I know it’s not worth it, but it’s really hard not to get mad. I’ve got enough on my plate as it is, like I really need to fight with these people in addition to everything else. Sigh.
I don’t mean to stay so negative, but this summer has been awful in terms of weather, too. It’s been one of the coldest, cloudiest summers I can remember. We’re due to have a stormy winter, too. The air force base here is predicting 159 inches of snow!!! And they’ve never been more than 3 inches off in their predictions! Can you imagine?? We’re looking at over 13 feet of snow!! Dean is chomping at the bit to rev up his snowmobiles, he can’t wait, he’s so excited. We have a garage for the first time ever and I’m so thankful. Dean doesn’t think it’s that big of a deal (he’s grumbling because he had to paint it and seal the floor) but he’ll appreciate it this winter, I’m sure.
He signed with the Anchorage Aces again this year, and it was all over the news that he was back in town. He had a really nice write up in the paper, too. He told them that he could probably play one or two more seasons at the IHL level, but his wife has talents and goals, too, and we decided to come back here so I could pursue those. What a sweetie - they actually printed that. He’s got a job in sales at an industrial supply place, and he’s going to work that this winter, too. They’re a big sponsor of the Aces and they’re completely supportive of him. They’re going to buy him a laptop so he can work on the road and give him the time off he needs to travel. They want their company name on the back of his jersey, too, so it all worked out really well there. He’s working with some really nice people and likes it so far. He’s still going to pursue firefighting when that opportunity comes around next fall, but wants to develop some other skills in the meantime, which I agree is smart. I hope we’re both able to see each other this winter, I think we’re going to stay pretty busy!!
He went fishing for halibut this weekend and brought home about 25 meals worth. I love fresh halibut - we’re cooking some tonight out at my parents house. And that brings us up to date as far as what we’ve been doing. I’m really getting into school, and have a lot of work to do to graduate in May, so I probably won’t write much again until Christmas break. I hope you all have a wonderful fall - I’ll be thinking about you!!
Much love,
Tiff and Dino
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