Ellen Gets Promoted!

11/06/08 - I am excited to announce that Ellen has been promoted! As most of you probably know, Ellen has been working at Nordstrom at the Flatiron Crossing location since they opened their doors. While she has worked her way into management and served in variety of roles, she has most recently spent the past year as the Customer Service manager. Over the past week, she was approached by the regional manager of Customer Service and asked if she would be interested in making the move to Park Meadows to assume control of their Customer Service department.
As you might expect, the decision was a difficult one for Ellen. Not only will this potentially triple her commute but it will also result in some additional time commitments. Also, it's worth noting that Ellen is one of only a few remaining employees who had opened the Flatiron store and continues to work there today. It's been a good home for her and she has built several close and lasting relationships during her time. After a weekend of deliberations Ellen determined the opportunity was simply too good to pass up and Monday she accepted the offer. Her first day at the new store (to her anyway) will be tomorrow.
How is this a promotion you might ask? The Park Meadows store is the largest in Colorado for Nordstrom and does nearly triple the sales volume as the Flatiron store. Additionally, Park Meadows plays host to a variety of special events and special customers so the responsibility of the Customer Service manager is vast. Below, please check out a small piece of what Ellen's regional manager had to say about her in the announcement...

"...From 2002 through 2005, she managed Kid’s Shoes, Men’s Shoes and Women’s/Salon Shoes.
Always looking for a challenge, Ellen took on the role as Customer Service Manager at our Flat Iron store last year. She quickly embraced the role and displayed the ability to drive results and provide incredible leadership skills. She is passionate about teaching and coaching. She encourages growth for herself and the teams she supports. Her leadership, commitment to results, and desire to learn will serve her well in her new position..."

Best of luck to Ellen in her new post! We're all very proud of you!

R

Loft Construction Project Enters the Homestretch!

Our loft construction project has turned the corner and is rapidly approaching the finish line. Our contractor completed his portion of work a couple of weeks ago and the rest is up to us.

For those not "in the know", we elected to build a new loft above our existing living room to add roughly 250-270 square feet to the house and provide a very flexible and functional space for everyone in the family. The design called for a flat screen TV and surround sound with an option to add some bookcases and a window seat. Down the road, the space could easily be converted to a bedroom, office or study, or remain a very open and airy loft...

Construction started roughly near the end of August and ran through our trip to Mexico. The contractor installed new support posts, a heavily reinforced beam, joists, decking, drywall, the railing, and electrical. Ellen and I have been responsible for all of the low voltage (TV, phone, and speaker) cabling as well as the painting and carpet. Currently we are down to the last of the painting work and a little bit of work on the sound and TV. It's been the largest home improvement project we've ever taken on and we are thrilled with the way it is turning out...

I've included some pics of the loft in progress... We will update this blog when the project is 100% complete so you can see the finished product! Stay tuned!

Viva La Mexico!

October 1, 2008 - Back from Mexico for Ellen and Randy with grins as wide as the Rio Grande! Ellen and Randy were lucky enough to tag along with Grandma Judy, Lindsay and Tony, and Jared and Jenna to the Mayan Riviera near Tulum for a week. It was a birthday extravaganza for Grandma Judy who celebrated her fiftrrr, errrr, sixrrrrr, errrr somthing with numbers...

After flying into Cancun and staying one night there enjoying the beach, the ruins, and some shopping, we hit the road for Tulum and a private beach villa on a secluded beach along Soliman Bay (about 6 miles north of Tulum). For those who want to see the house, go to http://www.locogringo.com/tankah/margaritavilla.html?name=Margarita%20Villa to check it out. The pictures are 100% accurate and the place is even more beautiful in person.

The week was filled with sun, sand, sea, snorkels, salsa, shells, shades, shots, shopping, and ciestas... Rest and relaxation for all...

Trip highlights included:

• Margarita Villa - Better than we could have imagined
• Sea kayaks
• Snorkeling
• Sea Turtles
• Xel-Ha adventure park
• A day in Playa Del Carmen
• Some of the best seafood you can find!
• Spending a week remembering why you fell in love with your wife in the first place... And doing it all over again.

We missed the kids a great deal, but were blessed to have Ellen's Aunt Julie and Grandma Sharon and Grandpa Jack to fill in for us while we were gone. We are very greatful to them for enabling us to take a trip that will never be forgotten.

Good food, good fun, and most importantly... Good Family!

R

Drink it in...

As my boys returned to school this week, I found myself pondering what their answer might be to the inevitable "what did you do on your summer vacation?" question... I'm not often one to ramble on about random thoughts and observations, but this week gave me some pause so I wanted to share.

I have realized over recent years that "time" is the one commodity we can't recover. We can't make more of it, extend it, borrow or loan any (it doesn't come back), or buy more. The day you're born you have all you'll ever have and each day after you have just a little bit less... While that has a certain element of negativity or finality to it, think of the opportunity it creates. What will you do with your time? What did you do on your summer vacation?

I had a wonderful childhood and two of the greatest parents a son could hope for... One of the most positive things I have taken away from losing my father far too early is that you must make the most of the opportunities you are given and create new ones where there are none. Drink in every day, no one is promised another one.

So, what did I do on my summer vacation???

• My son Ryan learned to ride a bike without training wheels and how to stop one using a parked car. Both valuable lessons.



• My daughter spent the summer playing with her cousin (something I never did), and learned to say "see ya guys", "what's up dude?", and "oh yeah, baby".



• My son Connor played a fantastic season of baseball and learned to win with humility and lose with dignity.



• My boys and I spent time in 6 different states - from beaches to mountains, from the Grand Canyon to hot springs, from Dodger Stadium to Legoland... We stopped to smell the flowers all along the way...



• My kids went to the pool and played outside, watched movies outdoors under the stars, and soaked in the sun enjoying time with their friends.



• We were blessed to see family from up the street to across the country and spend time catching up.

It's all the little moments that add up in the end and I'm glad for each and every one of them I shared with my kids during my summer vacation... And since I didn't actually take any vacation time, it made me realize that these were all opportunities that had to be created, or at a minimum, seized before they slipped away. I'm glad I can say that this summer, they didn't get away...

Sometimes we need to be reminded (even subtly) to slow down and drink it all in and make the most of each and every day. I am happy to be awake to this for now, but I'm sure I will need my own reminder in time... If you're not making the most of your day, consider this your friendly reminder.

R

Back to School!

Today the boys went back to school at Silver Creek Elementary! For Connor, he is entering the third grade and is excited to take on the challenges that come with it. Our little Ryan is a big boy now and headed off to his first day of Kindergarten. Judging by the other kids in the class as they lined up to enter the building, it's apparent that RyRy is tall for his age. He may well be the tallest in his class... Better call a scout from Duke!

The boys were both excited to be heading to school and seeing all their friends after the summer break. Ryan especially will be entering a new world of exciting opportunities and relationships as he dives into his first year of full day Kindergarten.

Featured in this photo - Ryan, Connor, and Ryan friend Ella who is also starting Kindergarten today!

Road Trip 08 - Part 2

The chance to take another work related road trip came up in the middle of August so Dad and Ryan were off to California! The two left on Thursday morning and drove straight through to Orange County. While driving through Las Vegas, the thermometer touched 116 degrees!

Friday morning, Ryan and Dad loaded into the truck and stopped by the office for a quick bit of work before heading to Laguna Beach. There is no doubt that Ryan would be right at home in California - he was born to be a beach bum. Ryan took to the water like a duck although he learned to respect the waves pretty quick. Wave #3 had Ryan looking flipping and tumbling like a bowling pin! But even covered in sand and seaweed, he cracked a smile and headed straight back for more!

After a half day at the beach, Dad and Ryan hit the road south toward Carlsbad to take in Legoland! Legoland is essentially an amusement park where everything appears to be built from Legos. Apparently Legos come from Sweden, because if you drive a Volvo you get preferred parking up front. The park was great and Ryan had ball... He even went on the roller coasters and did an awesome job!

After a full day of waves and coasters, our weary travelers headed back to the office to hitch up to t a trailer of equipment bound for Colorado and grabbed some sleep at the hotel. Ryan and Dad hit the road east early in the morning. The route back home once again provided an opportunity to stop at the four corners and Ryan did a crab walk through Colorado, Arizona, the wasteland of Utah, and the scraggy rocks of New Mexico.

That night, Ryan and Dad rolled into Pagosa Springs and soaked in the hot springs until almost midnight! Ryan loved the warm pools had a ball swimming at night. The hot springs spa even played a movie outdoors so we could watch while we soaked. A good night of sleep and stack of pancakes later and Dad and Ryan were back on the road for Denver.

Ryan was absolutely wonderful and never complained about the drive. I think he would have loved to stay in California longer, but school starts on Tuesday, so it was time to get home! What a great trip!

Surprise Fiesta - Feliz Cumpleanos!

Having a few family members in town provided the perfect opportunity to surprise Grandma Judy with a early birthday celebration in advance of our family trip to Mexico! Aunt Edie and Uncle Steve came through in typical flying colors to organize and host a fantastic Mexican Fiesta!

The evening included appearances from old and new friends along with some surprise guests as well. In additional having Uncle Lenny in from Tampa, and cousin Courtney in from Lake Tahoe, we were also fortunate to be joined by Aunt Marianne and Uncle Dennis in town from Pennsylvania. Only a handful of people knew they were coming in advance, so most of us were all surprised and excited to see them. Marianne had just undergone a significant operation on her spine and she was recovering beautifully.

Uncle Mike and Aunt Tammy also dropped in to celebrate with family and wish mom a "feliz cumpleanos" (happy birthday).

Having so much family together also provided Lindsay with the perfect opportunity to announce her big news that she and Tony are expecting their first baby in February adding even more reason to celebrate!

The food, the family, the festivities were all top notch and mom could not have been more surprised. Thanks again to Aunt Edie and Uncle Steve for such a wonderful afternoon full of surprises!

happy birthday hollyn

great aunt connie visits

We were very fortunate to get to visit with our great aunt Connie this weekend. She came to visit us all the way from Arkansas. She is staying with Grandma for awhile. And since we have never met her, we thought it would be nice to spend some time to get to know her. She was a hoot to hang out with. We had live entertainment (as you can see from the photos) and games like blankie tug-o-war. We hope we didn't run you too ragged Connie. We will have to come visit you in Arkansas soon.

Road Trip

Connor and Dad took a road trip during the last week of June and the first week of July this year! Dad had to drive to SoCal for work, so Connor tagged along for the ride. They left on a Friday afternoon and drive through the night. Connor kept himself occupied watching movies on a laptop and never once complained about the drive.

Along the way, they drove through Colorado, the Utah territory (Connor asked if anyone lived in Utah), Arizona, Nevada, and California.

On Saturday, Connor helped Dad with a little work at one of the jobsites we had to visit. Later that night, Dad surprised Connor with tickets to go see the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Dodger Stadium. They arrived early and watched some of the batting practice. Their seats were directly next to the Angels bullpen and Connor had a great time watching the pitchers. Since Connor was wearing an Angels hat, the bullpen coach/catcher and some of the pitchers were very classy and spent some time talking to Connor throughout the game. Pitcher Darren Oliver even gave Connor a ball. The Angels threw a combined no-hitter that night and lost the game 1-0. A rare and memorable night indeed...

The next day Dad and Connor loaded up the truck and trailer and headed for the beach. They spent a short time chasing the waves before hitting the road for even more surprises. Dad, once again, had tickets to see the San Diego Padres take on the Seattle Mariners at Petco Park. They were sitting in Row 1 just beyond the 1st base (Padres) dugout. Petco Park was beautiful and the weather was perfect. Dad and another fan leaned over the wall to grab a foul ball. The other guy came up with the ball, but in a very generous gesture, gave the ball straight to Connor without even thinking about it. Ichiro went 5-5 and the Mariners beat the Pads and All Star Jake Peavy handily. Great game!

From the game, Dad and Connor pointed their truck due East and drove to Flagstaff. The temps reached over 115 during parts of their drive. After staying in Flagstaff, Connor and Dad packed up and headed to the Grand Canyon, what a view! Their stay was brief, but breathtaking. Later that afternoon, they stopped at the four corners. This is the only place where 3 states (Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico) along with the Utah Territory (technically it's a state I've learned). Connor spanned 4 states at the same time...

That night our travelers arrived in Durango, CO to set up another jobsite for Dad's work. They spent the next two days working on the site before heading home via Pagosa Springs for a brief soak in the hot springs. Just what the doctor ordered.

Connor and Dad made it home July 3rd just in time for fireworks and BBQ's! What a great trip!

grandpa's retirement party

This week was exciting. We got to go to Grandpa’s work; it was his last day there. Evidently he is retiring. That means he doesn’t have to work anymore. They threw a party for him and gave him presents and there was a huge cake. It was great. Just like a birthday party!! They must have really liked grandpa. We are very proud of Grandpa, he has worked very hard.

Connor didn’t go because he was on his way to California with Dad. We'll talk more about that later.

hollyn's 1st haircut

Today was a big day. Mommy finally decided it was time to say goodbye to Hollyn's mullet. Is that how you spell that? So she took Hollyn to Lollilocks for her very 1st haircut. It seemed like the right time given Hollyn is almost 2 years old.

All was going well until the nice lady, we'll call her "Jackie", put the cape on Hollyn and covered up the hippo she was sitting on. After that there was not a smile to be found on her face. As you can see from the photos,"Jackie" did put Hollyn's hair into some little piggies (Hollyn's favorite) with cute green clippies. But still there was no smile from Hollyn, the damage was done. I don't think she was ready to part with the mullet or the "Larry the Cable Guy" T-Shirt.

By the way, the cute little hairstyle was completely pulled out by the time we got to the car. :(
Next time daddy may just be the one giving the cut! Can you say "FlowBEE"? Ah, maybe not.

welcome to our blog

Since Mom (Ellen) is so great at keeping in touch, we think this is the best way to keep all of you in the Drennen's loop. This is our first post, so we will keep it short. Here's a few pics so you can see how much we've grown.

Connor in the Clutch!

Short clip of Connor sinking a free throw during the final moments of his last playoff game this season. His team lost in a very close game, but they had a great season!

Ryan Drains A Shot!

Just a short clip of Ryan nailing a shot this last basketball season. It was his first basketball season and he had a blast!