First, Happy Chinese New Year, Happy Valentine's Day and especially a very happy Birthday to Gannon!  He turned 5 on February 23rd - neither Duke nor I can get over the fact that we are now the proud owners of a FIVE year old!  Amazing...

So earlier tonight, for some reason, Duke, Gannon and I walked through some of our photos that we took during our time in Singapore.  Several things were very prominently featured back then:

1. Gannon was SO damn cute & chubby!!!!

2. I was so skinny!  (Duke commented that the cancer had been eating away at me by then...)

3. Duke was so skinny - well as skinny as he could be, but he was definitely in his physical prime!

4. Gannon was SO damn cute & chubby!!!!

Even though I had a rough go with regards to my job, we actually really enjoyed our time in Singapore and living overseas.  I miss the friends we made, I miss our maid, I miss the lifestyle and I miss the ability to hop on a plane and travel to another country, cheaply and quickly!  I think the humidity is definitely the ONE thing I am glad to get away from - in looking at some of the pictures, the amount of sweating Duke & Gannon did was amazing. LOL

But I do believe things happen for a reason - 3 months after we moved back, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and 2 years later, the whole landscape of InFocus changed to where I ended up getting laid off.  So I think it was a good thing that we had moved back to the US but oh how we do miss the fun times we had there!

Time is flying by with us - we are scheduled to close on our house next Wednesday (yeah!) though the whole financing has been kind of a pain.  Oh, and the other thing we miss a LOT and that we notice is somewhat missing here in the US, and especially (no offense) the Tri-Cities - Customer Service!  I can't tell you how many times Duke and I have encountered a complete and utter lack of customer service here in the Tri-Cities...what has happened to providing good and quality customer service these days?  Do people just not care?  Is it the economy?  We went to some local "diner", I think it was called Rosie's to get some ice cream recently and the minute we walked in the two gals at the counter just acted so bizzarely that even Duke picked up on it.  The way they looked us up and down, and then talking to each other about US in front of US and then putting on some kind of attitude when telling us about the ice cream flavors.  It was almost creepy, but they just kept up this weird behavior all the way through our purchase.  We've been to local restaurants where the waitress forgot about us and was serving food to everyone else around us (we were there first), and we couldn't catch her attention until finally someone else came by.  Is it because I'm Asian and with a white guy?  LOL 

Okay, time to sign off...will post pictures next!

 I just realized how behind I am on our blog - Facebook has completely monopolized my "blogging" efforts, however I will do my best to bring this blog up to speed!

Since my last post in October (ugh), here are the top 10 events in the Mosley household!

1.  We made the decision to move back to Richland, Washington permanently in September 2009, so at the end of that month, the Mosley family merged with the Han family once again!  Thanks to my wonderful parents, we were welcomed into their home, dogs, kid and big white man altogether - so we are now "camped" out in the room that used to be our guest room back in  my days living here and Gannon is in my brother's old room.  So far I think it is working - though we do tend to drive one another crazy at times...

2.  Duke lost his job in mid-October after commuting to Portland once a week for 3 weeks - due to the economy, his specific account choose not to extend their contract, so Duke and I found ourselves spending WAY too much time together 24/7.

3.  Gannon started preschool, thanks to Jerry & Britt for their support, and so we at least have him doing something for three hours a day.  He's doing great, though we do feel (could be we are biased) that he is far more advanced than the current curriculum that he is following, so we are trying our best to supplement his "learning" at home.  He can read several of the BOB books now, and his math skills are great...but by just focusing on one letter/number at a time each week, he has started losing some of his letter and number writing skills.  Weird how that works but we are just glad that he is in school and he is starting to make friends.

4.  I got a job!  I was hired on by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in early December and actually started work in mid-December - I think I secured the one marketing job here in the Tri-Cities though.   I'm a Brand Marketing Specialist and I am loving my new job - a bit overwhelmed, as there is quite a learning curve for me, but I still am enjoying the challenge.

5.  We celebrated Thanksgiving in Roseburg with Duke's family - a seven hour drive from Tri-Cities, but we got to stay at the local casino while Gannon hung out with his Nana and Papa for several days.  So we were glad that the weather permitted us to drive that distance, as I know in the past, the Columbia Gorge tends to get a bit sketchy during the winter months.

6.  I am still CANCER free!  Finally went back to Portland in early January to get my 6 months check-ups, and the scans were clear and I'm still here.  Such a relief, both to know that the cancer has not returned and that I now have great insurance. LOL

7.  Duke is still in school, purusing his Masters in Adult Education, and at the same time still unemployed and looking for a job.  But it is working out right now for Mr. Mom since we are trying to keep our expenses low so that we can save to buy a house, and his current state allows us to attain this goal.  And I think he's really enjoying the time off from working and spending a LOT of quality time at home with Gannon and my parents!

8.  Thanks to Lan Puo Puo & Lan Gong Gong, Gannon is now the proud owner of a Wii...which, when you are trying to explain that it is a privelage and not a right to play to a soon-to-be Five year old, good luck!  He's actually getting a lot better with manuvering through the various Lego games (Batman & Robin, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones).  Duke and I, however, are barely surviving the Super Mario Brothers game, and the Wii Fit has deemed Duke to be obese and me to be a 49 yr old woman.  Nice...

9.  Gannon just started his indoor soccer camp, which he is not all that crazy about since he would rather just go out and play soccer instead of practicing the fundamentals.  We kind of have to talk him into going every Saturday morning as he really doesn't care for it, but it is an activity, we paid for it, and it is good for him to understand more about the art of soccer instead of just running up and down the field kicking the ball.

10.  Gannon will be turning FIVE next month, February 23.  Enough said!

So there you go, the top 10 things that have happened since our last posting...short and sweet!   I will post pictures up soon - and this time, I'm going to keep them small, since I didn't realize what a pain it was to get the images to load, so my apologies to everyone for that delay.

Happy New Year to everyone!  Go Saints!

Brother Sean, his wife Whitney and their baby boy Jayce came by one weekend to visit...he's so cute!  Finally got a smile out of him!

Then we had Gannon's best buddy, Brandyn and his brother Cayleb over so that mommy could go celebrate her 30th in Vegas! It was a lot of fun, but exhausting to watch 3 boys under the age of 5!

Then we had a farewell party at our house for Gannon's soccer team - I had prepared 3 pictures that all the kids and parents signed in honor of the two coaches and one for Gannon to take with him when we moved away. 

Gannon's teacher Wednesday and her beautiful little girl Genesis!

Phew! So close to being done!

Yes, I relented and Duke participated in his annual softball tournament in August down in Salem.  Now that Gannon is getting bigger, it makes it a lot easier to take him to these games than before since he can amuse himself and also interact with the other boys that are around the field. 

So we hung out with our friends Trisha and Jay along with their 2 girls and had a good time...though Duke had made reservations for us at the Rape-By-The-Hour motel that I absolutely refused to stay in, so I spent the better part of Saturday afternoon dealing with Hotwire to salvage what I could of our reservation and switch it over to another location.  SUCKED!  Saving a few bucks is NOT worth it people!  LOL

This is Gannon asleep in the car...we got him out of his car seat and he just slid down to the floor of the car and stayed that way.... kind of funny!

And of course, more soccer!

Lunch with friends...

We then went to the Clackamas County Fair and Duke once again won me a GIANT Husky dog (which I can't wait to bring to my next job if I ever get one!)....

Gannon LOVES riding horses...now that we are back in the Tri-Cities, we may have to buy some land and get some horses for him!

Needless to say, Gannon was peeved that we didn't pick HIS choice in animals, so he threw a major fit all the way home...but was soon satisfied with the frog he won.

The Three Stooges...LOVE YOU GUYS!

Uncle Pat, Uncle Mike and Daddy...

We attended Duke's company picnic once again this year (YES companies do still have employee functions!) and once again the day of the picnic was an abberation of week's earlier weather forecast - instead of hot and sunny, we had cold and overcast!  Amazing timing!   But everyone still had a great time...

And Duke's volleyball team won first place - then Duke won a GPS thing...LOL  He's a winner!

More soccer pics - I know everyone must be tired of seeing them...but I have to record our life events somehow!

Had to get my last surgery in to complete the circle -

And my pup, Neo...

I do have to put in a plug about how much I love iTunes - I'm too distracted during the week to sit down and watch TV, so it makes it so much easier to just buy the season and watch the episodes later.  DVR or not, I like to be able to go back and watch the shows later and ON my iPOD.

Okay, back to posting...I should be caught up soon...

More beach photos...the coolest thing was that we were able to drive onto the beach and "camp" out by our car, easy access to everything!

Hanging out in the tent while Duke and I sat outside making dinner...living the life!  Didn't expect the coast to be as cold as it was since we were dying back in the city! 

Some shots of the trees...that were blocking the sun, thereby causing us to freeze!

Dogs spent the night in the car...warmer for them...

Packing up!

We then drove up the coast to visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory...

Eating the cheese samples...

Then we went to visit another chees factory (didn't realize there were so many!) right next door and to have lunch - the Blue Heron...

Of course they had a petting zoo and of course, we had to feed them!

I guess we need a few more kids...

Another soccer game...

To cool off, we stopped at this neighborhood park where they had this great water feature...

I think I'm getting closer to catching up - here we are at our friend's Kori's house to celebrate her 30th birthday!

Baby sat Brayden - Gannon's little bud...

Brayden's a little fixated on the tv...

Visiting baby Emma...

More soccer photos...a very HOT day!  I can't believe kids are still allowed to play in this weather...

They loved their squirt bottles...

Saying good-bye at InFocus - 8 years!

Playing golf before my 7th surgery in 103 degree weather...can't believe it!

Wearing my "sleeve" to help with my Lymphedema...sucks, but I've been asked by people every time I wear it "who does your ink?"....

Getting ready for surgery number 7 - nipple reconstruction!

More to come!

  Celebrating my 39th birthday at home in style!

You can tell that we don't have a "9" candle...since Gannon is only 4...

  Tried out the driving range after my surgery...not a good idea!  Kept waiting for my implants to "burst"!

Then I attended the Relay for Life as one of the token survivors that my friend Kori asked me to do - so her fundraising was dedicated to me, which was great!  Had a lot of fun...

And my sweet hubby showed up as a surprise to support me in this...I'm wearing this medal they passed out for survivors...kind of cool...

Then Duke and I decided to go camping again - this time at the coast where I froze my ass off!!!!!!

Beautfiul day at the beach though...nice and warm though very windy!

When nature calls....

Enjoying the indoor pool....

Then back at the beach!

Dumbass drove his little rice rocket into the sand and got it stuck!!!!  Even with our Trailblazer and 4 wheel drive, we almost got stuck!

  That's all she wrote for this post!

Wow, where to even begin??????  Here is a quick timeline for the past 3 months...

July 2nd I was notified by InFocus that I was to be part of the lay-offs with an effective termination date of September 1.  Apparently there was no need for me to even be there any more and after 8 years, it kind of sucked, but then I think it was meant to be.  And after I just got back to work full-time after all that I've gone through!  I looked it as if I can beat and survive cancer, this is NOTHING!

So I had about 2 months left to be at the company and I decided that I was going to cut my losses early and just take as much of my PTO at one time as I could - meaning my last day on the job was July 28th.  On July 29th, I walked into my 7th surgery for my cancer treatment and I tell you I did NOT want to do it at all!  Now I am pretty remorseful of the fact I went ahead and did it because my recovery was wacked (had symptoms of really bad vertigo, feelings of blacking out, couldn't drive for a few weeks!) and I attribute the fact that I am now victim to Lymphedema because of that last surgery. 

Back to the timeline...

By August, Duke and I decided that with our lease ending at our house on October 1, and with me not having employment (which was the only real reason we stayed in Oregon to begin with), this was our opportunity to make a move that we had been discussing off and on for some time now and that was to move BACK to the Tri-Cities where my parents live.  Given the economic conditions of the Portland-Metro area, the lack of responses I was receiving on my job applications and inquiries, we made the decision to move because of a few major factors:  one, being Gannon - we want to make sure we can get him into a good school next year and to do that in Oregon, we would have to rent a shack in the district we needed to be in or move to Tri-Cities and afford a house in a good school district.  Second, I wanted to move closer to my parents as Gannon adores them, we have his "adoptive" grandparents in town as well, so he gets to be around a lot of family.  And thirdly, we would get the support we needed at this critical time that we wouldn't get any where else.  Thankfully my parents have graciously offered to have us crash at their home while we get settled and acclimated to the move and also to allow us some breathing room with our financial situation.  I have GREAT parents who have so much support for our family we can never ever thank them enough!

So end of August, we began packing, and then I crossed over my termination date and was out of InFocus forever.  Hard transition, but I believe deep down it was the best thing to have happened to me.  We packed up and moved ourselves across state lines as it was less expensive and it worked out - Duke would drive the UHaul over and we would load everything into the two storage units we rented.  Thanks to Jerry my brother who helped with the moving since I can't do much with my bum arm.

By the end of September, we were out of our old house, and into my parents guest rooms!

Many of you have asked about Duke and yes he still works in Portland, but drives back to the Tri-Cities every Thursday night to spend the weekend with all of us.  It is hard, but we need his job while I continue to look for a new job here. 

Gannon is doing fantastic other than the fact that he was severly traumatized in September when we went to the local Sausage Festival and he got lost - not I can't be out of his sight for more than a few minutes IN the house before he freaks out!  I'm hoping he will get over this separation anxiety sooner than later - we've enrolled him in swimming lessons to get him some kind of activity to do during the week and also get him a chance to meet some other kids.  He won't be able to play soccer again until the end of November, but that is okay, I think he will still be great!

Okay, so there you have it in a nutshell...still looking for a job so any leads let me know!

Back to the pictures...need to keep up on this...

Here we are at Gannon's last soccer game with his team in Portland...

We miss our Blue team for sure!

More to come... 

This past Thursday, July 30th, I had my 7th and most likely final, surgery - mostly reconstruction where I got new nipples, a mini tummy tuck as they had to take some skin grafts.  Needless to say, I'm very sore and tired and feel like I'm going to pass out!  Narcotics and Patt do not mix! 

Any way, more on that later - here are pictures we took when we stopped to visit Sean, his wife Whitney, Grampy, Cousin Lexi and the newest member to the Mosley family, Jayce!

Both Duke and Gannon LOVE babies!  I still can't believe I had one myself... LOL