Christmas 2018

‘Twas midway December, and at last with a sigh,

Jean got the cards mailed as Christmas drew nigh…

The Mittelstaedt Monitor is here in its 21^st century incarnation!  We hope you enjoy reading about what we’ve been doing this year.

Workin’ 9 to 5…and more

Portlandia Cloud Services, Ted’s consulting company, continues to keep him busy.  He provides IT consulting services to individuals and small businesses.  He’s pretty mobile, working from his home office or out in the field.  He might install a server in the morning and troubleshoot somebody’s virus-infested laptop in the afternoon.  All this while answering a steady stream of phone calls and emails.  Many of his clients have been with him for years, but he has acquired some new ones since going independent.  It’s a busy job with constant challenges, which means it’s never dull!

I will celebrate 10 years of teaching writing at Chemeketa Community College in Salem in 2019.  That’s actually the longest I’ve worked anywhere!  I also teach at the Sylvania Campus of Portland Community College.  I typically have 2-3 writing classes a term.  This fall I taught a First Year Experience class as well.  Next term, I will teach at three different campuses!  It’s a good thing I drive a car with good gas mileage.  I am also a member of the Boards for two of my professional organizations:  Oregon Council of Teachers of English and Two Year College Association of the Pacific Northwest.  I’ve created new Web sites for each of them, and each will have a conference in April that I will present at.   

Life, the Universe, and Mittelstaedts

It’s been a busy year!  While Ted and I have been pretty busy with work and the kids busy with school and their interests, we try to have fun when we can.  I sing with my church choir at Westminster Presbyterian.  I ride my bike; I participated in my eleventh Cycle Oregon Weekender in July in Eugene at the University of Oregon.  We don’t see as many movies in the theater, but we made sure to see The Last Jedi and Solo.  Dorothy is looking forward to Frozen 2 next year, and we all anticipate Toy Story 4.  They can’t possibly top Toy Story 3…or can they?

Our most exciting adventure this year was the purchase of a house in Seaside.  Ted and I looked at it on our 25^th anniversary in August, and we closed on Dorothy’s birthday in September.  Ted has been painting and moving furniture every weekend, and we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving there.  We’re looking forward to having a quiet retreat in the winter and a fun place to host barbecues and gatherings in the summer.  Ruby is looking forward to staring at and salivating over all the wildlife she can see from her balcony and yard.

Mittel-Nearly-Growns

Dr. Everett V. Scott, A Rival Scientist

Ian, who reached the big 2-0 in August, has tested the waters in several places this year.  He started as a student at the Sylvania Campus.  He acted in several roles in Sylvania’s winter term production of The Laramie Project.  He returned to Valvoline after a couple of other stints elsewhere.  They keep him pretty busy—he averages 40-50 hours a week.  He was also accepted as a cast member of the Clinton Street Cabaret, which participates in weekly showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at a local independent theater—continuing a proud tradition that his parents engaged in during their misspent youth.  He also bought his first car after owning several motorcycles (still has a bike). 

First day of sophomore year

Dorothy, who turned 16 in September, had some new waters of her own.  She is a sophomore at Franklin High School and is taking an ambitious course load, from AP World History to intermediate metals to robotics engineering.  She participated in her school’s poetry slam competition earlier this year, writing and performing a poem that was in both English and German.  Her interest in languages continues; she’s teaching herself Mandarin in addition to German.  She also got her learner’s permit, so she’s been learning to drive and will enroll in driver education next summer.  She’s developed an interest in scrapbooking and spends many weekends adding new pages to her memory books.

 

Ruby at Cannon Beach

Our dog Ruby turned 11 in August and still greets us with delighted exuberance whenever we get home, even if we only went out for 5 minutes.  When she’s not trolling for food or snuggling under a warm blanket, she is staring at the squirrels in the front yard.  She loves going for walks through the neighborhood and for car rides, especially to places where she can get a dog biscuit.  During the darker winter months, she loves chasing her laser pointer around the local schoolyard—good way to keep her exercised in the winter.

And to all a good night...

                
Each year we are reminded anew of all the blessings we enjoy as a family in this crazy, mixed-up world of ours.  We wish the same blessings to all of you, our beloved family and friends.  May you all have peace and joy in the holidays and into the New Year.