Since our last memo, many changes have visited us; however, career-wise, it seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same. (Turn on your speakers to hear the Sugar Plum Fairies, and click on any of the photos or hyperlinks for a better view.)

After five years of blood, sweat and tears at Mercator Software which included successes and awards, Marshall was made available to the industry (another euphemism for getting laid off). Much upheaval in management two years ago left him with a new boss who didn't appreciate the value of good documentation - their loss. Marshall's already received a call from a company on the west coast (not Tampa, but Monrovia, California) for Director of Documentation, but we don't expect much in the way of job opportunities until after the holidays.

During the same round of layoffs, half of Sharon's group was cut, and she is back on the road teaching classes as a Trainer. Recent trips have included Dayton, Orlando, and New York City. This is in addition to her duties as Lead Instructional Designer. Both jobs are keeping her very busy.

On the 'good news' front: son number two for Nathan and Jackie made his debut on November 19. After a few tough days in the hospital, Ethan Bloom is healthy, pushing the scales over 9 pounds now, and sharing a room with his brother, Joey - a future fishing buddy! Sharon, however, is a little depressed at the thought of living with a grandfather with six grandchildren. We got to see Nate's family during our 19th Gypsy Pilgrim Jamboree (our annual Thanksgiving camping trip taken with about 50 of our close personal friends) near Orlando. We don't hear much from the Brian branch of the family except for occasional tidbits through Nathan, but everyone seems to be OK.

We did manage to squeeze in an excellent vacation before the axe fell. We took a week-long train trip on the American Orient Express to five national parks: Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Grand Teton and Yellowstone. The scenery was amazing, food was outstanding, service and guides were exceptional, and we returned extremely vacated. Fortunately, Sharon ordered the big memory disk for the digital camera which allowed us to store and download over 200 pics in addition to three rolls of film taken with the trusty Canon Elph 35mm snapshot camera. Anybody wishing to view our 300 vacation slides can visit our website at www.bozaza.com/HHCrew/family/aoe.html.

With our careers spiralling down along with the overall national economic recession, once again we were really hoping to win the $100 million lotto last weekend, but that didn't pan out either! We had already decided the first thing we would do if we won: FAINT! Still, you can imagine how many people would have fun if we did win.

The one thing that stays constant in our lives is the love and support we get from family and friends both near and far. We are both fortunate to still have our parents, brothers and sisters who speak to us, children who are productive citizens, nieces and nephews who are excelling in athletics and academia, and many friends who share their happiness and good fortune with us.