Be sure to view our January/February family photos as well.
Hello Friends & Family,
In January we had a snow storm, followed in February by a REAL snow storm. All the years we have been living in Indiana, everyone here has been talking about the big snow storms they used to have - but 
we never saw any worth mentioning. For the first few years we didn't even buy a shovel, since a broom wasall that was needed. Finally we had a great big, shut down everything sort of snow storm. It was wonderful. Be sure to look at the all the pictures of the boys enjoying the snow. And of course we had an amazing Super Bowl - well, for the first few minutes at least. Still, I have often said (since moving here) that the ultimate Super Bowl would be the Bears and the Colts!
The real big news for this update (even bigger than the Bears playing in the the Super Bowl!) is that Keith has changed jobs. Yes, again. Let's just say that changing jobs comes with the territory of Keith's chosen field as a quality professional. And he did stay with NAVTEQ for over three and a half years (a new record). Keith would have stayed for the foreseeable future, if the opportunity for his dream job had not shown up. Keith now works in healthcare, for Sisters of St. Francis Health Services (SSFHS). This is a huge company that owns twelve hospitals and dozens of clinics in Indiana and Illinois. They also own their own liability insurance company, lab testing company, information services company, and construction company. They also have partnerships with many other small healthcare healthcare facilities and physician practices. One of the hospitals owned by SSFHS is St. Margaret Mercy, where Natasha works as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist!
Keith is the Corporate Manager of Lean Six Sigma, and so is responsible for coordinating Lean and Six Sigma improvement activities at all the facilities. Most projects are at the hospital level, and there are people at each facility leading those improvement efforts. Keith helps to facilitate the projects, analyze data, educate staff, and promote cross-facility learning across the entire SSFHS system. Apart from the occasional drive to the corporate headquarters in Mishawaka or to facilities in Lafayette, Keith generally gets to spend more time at home since most of the hospitals where he spend his time (including Natasha's) are only a few minutes from our house. On a good day we even get to have lunch together. Working on quality in healthcare really is a dream come true for Keith, since improving healthcare literally means improving people's lives.
Not having the commute to downtown Chicago frees up over three hours each day, which Keith is converting to gym time. We have both been members at Omni 41 (owned by Natasha's hospital) for many years, and now we can actually go together! Keith also completed a series of indoor biking and swimming classes, both of which have really improved his technique. Natasha is in training for her second-ever triathlon, coming up in late August. Natasha's good friend Kate was inspired by Natasha's first-ever triathlon last year, and so she has entered the 2007 one as well and will be coming to Chicago for the event! Natasha has also signed up for a women's-only triathlon 
training class in Chicago, to help her get ready.
Shortly before Valentine's Day, we attended a special event at Robie House in Chicago. This house was designed by Keith's favourite architect (Frank Lloyd Wright) and is a beautiful and historic residence. The event combined a house tour with the history of desserts from the early 1900's to today, including ties to Chicago and of course samples! Our last stop in the house was the dining room, where we enjoyed champagne and some of our goodies. We did save a few to bring home to the boys.
We also had a wonderful evening out with Mathew (Keith's triathlon training partner) and his wife Pat. Mathew still works as a lawyer at Mittal (formerly known as Inland Steel and Ispat Inland, where Keith worked 1999-2002) and the company's research department was receiving an award from the local chamber of commerce. We filled two extra seats at the Mittal table, not even knowing beforehand that there were also two tables from St. Margaret Mercy, so we got to see several of Keith's new co-workers at the dinner as well. It was very nice to spend some time with Mathew and Pat, since we can rarely coordinate our schedules. Natasha used to think Keith planned too many things, until we met Mathew. After dinner there was dancing, and I must say Mathew and Pat were showing off!
The following day Keith, 
Mathew, and Noah went to the Chicago Auto Show. We wore our feet out looking at all the new cars and trucks and cool concept vehicles. Ford had a concept Airstream, which turned the famous silver trailer into a regular-sized passenger vehicle. They even had a live demonstration of that Lexus car that can parallel park all by itself. Keith still has his eye on the Lotus Elise - the price has gone up some over the last few years, but it's still a bargain for a Lotus!
On February 25th Keith participated in the Hustle Up the Hancock, which is a fundraiser for the American Lung Association. This event (not a race) requires walking up the stairs in the fabulous Hancock Tower - 94 stories! The Hancock Tower is a landmark on the Chicago skyline, and while it is not as tall as the Sears Tower, it is way cooler in both looks and design - and even has a Cheesecake Factory restaurant in the bottom. The climb was not easy, but the event was lots of fun. Keith participated in honour of his aunt Nancy, who died from lung cancer when Keith was a teenager.
We'll finish this time with a video of Noah leading us in exercises, and two others that accurately capture life with two young boys:
Noah the exercise instructor (8.7MB)
Noah Quote:
"Slam down Dunkin Donuts!" (I don't know where they get this stuff...)
Luke Quotes:
"You're my Best Friend " (to Daddy)
"Slam down Dunkin Donuts!" (and pretty much anything else Noah says)
Keep in Touch,
Keith & Natasha & Noah & Luke
Christmas 2006 | Keith & Natasha Home | March/April 2007