Snow in Auburn!

Happy "Brrrr" Monday!

Yes, it's been cold, damn cold! We got 4-5 inches of snow here in Auburn on Friday night and Saturday and it's been so cold, we still have it. Last night when I went to bed, it was 30 degrees, so it's safe to say, Mason will be over the moon to go to school this morning and still have snow on the soccer field. For those of you who live with snow, I know, it's novel for us and that it came before Christmas makes it even more magical.

Mason getting the great news!

There has been plenty going on at Casa de Partak. The cookie factory is open and I have already had over 100 cookies go out to wonderful causes. I'm now in the process of wrapping up my last request for 30 gingerbread boys and just focusing on decorating the cookies I give as holiday gifts. Of course, Mason loves decorating with me and he's getting really good. You can still quickly tell which cookies I did and which he did, but I remind him all the time, I've been icing cakes and cookies since I was just 23 years old, that's 24 years of practice! I expect he will soon be outdoing me and I can't wait for that day! Speaking of Mason, I think I shared with all of you that Mason made a presentation of an application for his school kitchen project to be considered for the Auburn 49er Lions "Celebrity Chef Challenge" grant that they do every year in March. Well, out of 8 applications, they chose Masons! They said not only were the letters from his fellow students compelling, but the personal presentation Mason made when he dropped off the application really impressed the board. For this grant, Mason and his school will have to sell tickets to the event and we have to decorate the hall. The 49er Lions will arrange for all the Celebrity Chefs and auction items in addition to all the other arrangements. The grant is a minimum of $5000 but can be more if we all pitch in and sell more tickets. If you want to come, it's March 6, 2014 and tickets are $17 per person - so save the date! On a personal note, I wasn't notified about the announcement so I wasn't there when they came to Mason's school to share the good news. The representative from the Lions club asked Mason to come up on stage as he acknowledged and congratulated him. I was so proud to learn that without any coaching, Mason had the good sense to thank his fellow students for writing letters and noting that this is a team effort, it's not just him. Good job son, it validates all the talking about lifting others up that I do that I think you are not hearing!  

Dave is at his annual training for the Guard and we were all sad he missed the snow and the local Christmas festivities. It is what it is and the way I see it, we'll just have to make up for lost time when he gets home next weekend. Auburn's Old Town Country Christmas is Saturday and we are hoping he will be home in time for us to all go.

Finally, if you know anyone who is thinking of buying a house and has a union connection, put them in touch with me. There is a program for union members, former union members, and family members of (current/previous/retired) union members that could be really helpful to help them buy. It's also got benefits for refinance. I am making my living working in real estate so if I have ever helped you with loans, loan mods, or just free consulting, please think of me for yourself and referrals of family and friends who may be selling and buying!

Merry Christmas,

Kathy