Update…12/14/2003

Another 6+ months without an update. Busy times for the Kleins.

We finally decided to put down some roots somewhere and decided to stay in Arizona for a while. We found a great house in Tempe and are really enjoying being homeowners.

Kisha was presented with a great opportunity teaching German at a local high school in the Phoenix area. She loves teaching her favorite language and is very happy that so many of her students have picked up on her enthusiasm for languages.

I’m still with Motorola (5 years now) and still look forward to my daily tasks. Our schedule is quite as hectic now so I am able to spend more time with Kisha and kids (kids=dogs).

Isabella is doing well and is as wonderful as ever. Her thyroid seems to be under control now and her weight has been slowly dropping to a healthy level. She is such a sweetie and we’re so happy to have her with us.

Mooch is around 9 months old now and is quite large. His hair is getting longer and longer. We’re pretty sure that he’s mixed with Bernese Mountain Dog at this point. He is certainly a puppy and acts like one, but is such a sweetheart that it makes up for all of his puppy behavior.

Hope everyone is doing well this holiday season. We wish you all a Merry Christmas (Vesely Vanoce / Frohe Weinachten) and Happy New Year (Stasny Rok / Glueckliches und ein guten Rutsch)!

Update…5/12/2003

Well, over a year without an update. Here’s quick breakdown of the year +.

Per last update we were preparing for our renewal in Vegas in February 2002. That went off well and it was so wonderful to have a large percentage of the family and friends (60+) there to celebrate with us. There are pictures and most everybody has been sent the Shutterfly link, but if you have not, email one of us and we’ll send it out.

Kisha graduated from ASU in May and my parents came down for the celebration. What a wonderful day!!! Hooray for Kisha!!!

I was supposed to move to Germany with my job, but at the last moment possible (on their part) they decided it wasn’t in the best interest of the project that I’m on to have me there. Never mind that Kisha was already living there with a job and an apartment and I had been working there a month to get settled in. Well, that person who made the promises is no longer employed so I guess there is such a thing as karma.

Kisha had worked for the Stars and Stripes in Germany for about six months and really enjoyed the opportunity to live in Germany as a civilian and experience so much. She met some wonderful people there and we still keep in contact with many. One of the very special people she met was our friend Karlie. Her and her husband are living there and we were lucky enough to have Karlie visit us in Arizona for a few days this year (2003).

Thanks to our wonderful friends Gabi and Chad, Kisha was able to stay with them until she found an apartment. We’re so very lucky to have such fantastic friends all over the world.

When I was working in Germany for about a month last year we were lucky enough to have some time to visit our favorite Germany family – The Rechenbachs! We love Apolda and the surrounding area and all of the great friends we have there.

We also went to a spa north of Apolda called the “Thermalbad” and it was great. They have music under the water and it is very salty so you can float on your back and listen to the soothing tunes. Here is the link: Toskana-Therme


Rechenbach and Boettger Families – Our Apolda Family

Kisha got back to AZ at the end of November and started a Para Legal Certification course here in Phoenix. She’ll be graduating at the end of May, 2003. She’s already been offered a few jobs so that gives hope that there will be a job that makes Kisha happy in the coming months.

I’ve been traveling to Chicago every week since January for my current project and hopefully that will slow to a week a month or less in the following months. Fun project, just not enough time with the people I really care about.

A few unexpected and sad events occurred this year so far. We lost one of our best friends, Angie LaClaire a few weeks ago in a plane crash and will miss all of the joy she brought to our lives. It was an honor to have such an incredible person as a true friend. We also lost our Baxter this year. He passed in his sleep and we will miss him so much. He was with us from the start of our marriage and is the closest thing to a child we’ve had. We are so lucky to have so many good friends and be involved in PARR so we can continue to help this wonderful breed by being foster parents to so many Rotties. Our foster girl Ruthie also passed a few weeks after Baxter of breast cancer. We know that they are all playing in heaven and have Angie and many others there to give them big hugs and scratches.

This year we have a few trips planned. One to Vegas to see Celine Dion (Rick and Kisha) and our family reunion in Idaho and one in Florida. We are still trying to fit a Germany trip into the mix, but that may not be until later this year (time for some skiing in the Alps!). Be ready Apolda, we’re coming back!

That pretty much catches us up to May, 2003. If I forgot anything I’m sure that I’ll be reminded and will add it as soon as possible.

Take care…