Moving the Kids

In August Chris and Jenny moved to South Pasadena to begin classes at USC dental school! It was a happy and sad day when they moved out of our Mesa home and off to California. Emmet and Emery LOVE Chris and Jenny - we are excited for Chris and Jenny to begin this new chapter of their lives. Ken and I helped drive one of their cars and help move them into their new apartment. It was a fun but quick trip. Then Chance and Angela were able to move out of their studio apartment in downtown Chicago and into a bit larger apartment in Bucktown. Hopefully Angela will have a bit shorter commute and they will have a bit more room. Although, as you can see, their bedroom is a tad tight! They have a great attitude and are a darling couple. We were sad to see them move, although they are only a few miles away.

Trip to Culpeper, VA

Kathy and I took a trip this past week to Culpeper, Virginia to check on the Olson family farm. We call it a farm because we don't know what else to call it. It is 167 acres of forest and cleared land in the beautiful area of Culpeper. As part of the trip we went to Montpelier (James Madison's home) and to Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's home) in Charlottesville. The day we left for home we had a couple of extra hours so we made a quick trip through DC and out to the temple where we were married 33 years ago. Also posted is the Virginia home where I was raised--I kept the yard in much better shape when I was in charge of mowing it.

Adjusting to Chicago

We have been in Chicago for three weeks now (if you count the week we spent in Cancun) and we are adjusting to the change in lifestyle and enjoying ourselves. Last night we walked across the street to Millennium Park and listened to a concert by the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus performing some of Beethoven's works. We enjoy having so much within walking distance, such as the lake, nice restaurants, and shopping. We plan on taking advantage of all of the cultural opportunities that the city offers (last week we made a short visit to the Blue's Festival and felt like we were at Woodstock).

We miss the branch though and all of our friends there. That was a very special experience we had in Milwaukee and one that we will greatly miss.

Cancun Vacation

We just got back from a great week in Cancun. The whole family went, Kira, Emmet, Emery, Chris and Jenny, and Chance. We had a lot of fun and I will include more pictures on the blog as Jenny and Kira email me the one's they took. We spent a ton of time in the pool with Emmet and Emery and they both are terrific swimmers (especially for being only two and four). We made a trip to the ruins, spent time snorkeling, sailing, eating, kayaking, and more eating. The last picture below is of Jenny jumping off of a cliff and Chris is standing at the top.

We've moved to Chicago!!

Here are some photos from our balcony on the 43rd floor.

Photos from Christmas

We had a very enjoyable time over the holidays with the entire family together in AZ. We did some fun things such as: golf, had an open house Christmas Eve for our close friends, went bowling, hiking in Papago Park, went to a movie, and did a lot of shopping and a lot of eating.


Chris trying a Mentos and Diet Coke Experiment


Kira, Emmet, and Emery


Christmas Eve


Kathy and Kira


Hiking in Papago Park

Chance gets a job offer from JPMorgan

A big day in the Olson family!! Chance received a job offer today from JPMorgan. He will be entering their investment analyst program starting in July. He will spend his first six weeks in New York for training and then be in Chicago for his permanent assignment. Kathy and I are thrilled to have a family member just an hour and a half away and even more excited to have him off of the payroll!