Our Year.....

Pedersen Family Chronicles for 2007
This year has been a good year for the Pedersen’s. We came back home from our Costa Rican expedition enjoying the blessings of having our family together again. We give thanks to everyone of you who remembered us while we were gone and who wrote to us or called while we were abroad.
Brett- The big news is after close to 24 years of employment with Hewlett-Packard, Brett was able to qualify for an early-retirement package. Although it was a huge sacrifice to give up such a prestigious position as head of operations in Costa Rica for LaserJet technical support, he found it more important to cut his stay short in order to bring his family back together. He was very fortunate to leave HP on a high-note having achieved building one of the most successful call-centers within HP’s global operations, along with having received requests for his return upon completing his 1 year requirement away from HP. Upon returning home his focus turned to his home-improvement project which included everything from carpeting, painting, and exterior rock facing. He even completely finished out his garage so that now his kids can have band rehearsal there, but of course that may be coming to an end since the neighbors nerves are starting to wear thin. He has also learned to appreciate what it’s like to be a mom after his wife went back to work (he can’t work until after the new year due to the impact of taxable income as a result of his severance package from HP). Brett’s primary focus is currently on his music career and he has just completed recording and mixing his new album with his band Half the World. They have already had material solicited by 5 major labels and currently have a publishing deal in the works to sell their music to movies and television. They continue to tour through the northwest and have opened for major touring acts and most recently have been asked to open for Puddle of Mud in Spokane. This couldn’t have happened at a better time since they recently opened for the CD release of famed Christian rock band, We As Human. The radio station that was covering the event was so impressed with HTW that they have gotten on board to commit playing their first single in heavy rotation for 8 weeks to place them on the national play lists that tend to lead to industry attention (this is a feat that normally costs record companies huge dollars for this type of exposure). It is too early to see where this will take his band but their goal is to be a platinum selling artist and the initial positive industry feedback on some of their songs may be early indicators that the potential is there to make it happen, so stay tuned…
Rossana- After handling the big task of moving our family back from Costa Rica and settling ourselves in our home, which included school re-enrollment and going through the withdrawal of not having a full-time maid and nanny, Rossana made sure that Brett’s retirement was a lot of fun. For the first five months after they returned she had a great time spending every day with Brett without the worries of having a job, supporting him with his band and even joining him on some of his out-of-state trips. They also enjoyed going out together every day, shopping for bargains, going to the Mall, taking small trips, and to flying to Disneyland with Kallie. In October, Rossana got a job as an Administrative Assistant with Blue Cross of Idaho, and she truly enjoys. Having her new job has boosted her self esteem and has allowed her to learn new skills that she can definitely use later in life.
Shawn- During this past year Shawn has been working at T-mobile and this year was recently promoted into a lead supervisor position. Statistically, Shawn had been in the top-percentile for customer-handling, and has won numerous rewards for his efforts. Shawn also bought himself a brand new car, a beautiful fully-loaded red Mustang, and he has pimped out his ride with cool wheels and white racing stripes. Shawn is currently dating Rebecca, a beautiful girl who attends Idaho State University, and will be earning her Masters Degree in Education in May. He is looking into buying a house this year and maybe moving out of our home. Shawn is the best brother anyone could ever have, he gives his brothers and sisters lots of attention and buys them toys and clothes. Shawn is a great influence to his younger brothers, who look up to him and desire to follow in his footsteps. Shawn started a band this year, and his songs are amazing, but more amazing is that he asked Alex to be the second guitar player, but even though Alex is only 14, he is very advanced for his age. We are truly thankful for the music talent our family has been given. It bonds our children together and creates a means for our family to have fun. Our home is very noisy during band practices, but knowing that our kids are having good fun makes it all good.
Erica- Erica looks amazing! She has lost a lot of weight and is doing very well. Our daughter’s outside beauty finally matches her inside beauty. She has become very popular with the boys and is dating quite a bit. Erica finished nail tech school and will be taking her board test in January. Erica is a joy to have around. She is sweet, kind, and very compassionate and loving to all that know her. Her musical talents also keep getting better each year, especially her ability to sing. This year Erica is giving guitar lessons and enjoys teaching very much. Erica continues to pursue her art.
Erica also had an opportunity to fly over to Costa Rica to be with her family before they moved home and had a blast there. She went with her mom and two of her visiting friends on a three day Costa Rican adventure done the Costa Rican way, by bus. They explored lots of rainforest, climbed mountains, enjoyed beautiful oceans, ate exotic food, fed wild monkeys, and even peeled coconuts that fell to the ground. This was an adventure she’ll never forget.
Jake- Jake was home schooled all year long by attending on-line school. In order to get caught up on his credits he also attended night school (it was difficult to attend school while in Costa Rica, which put him slightly behind). Jake will be attending Centennial High School in a few weeks and he can’t wait for everything to be back to normal. Like the rest of his family regarding music, Jake’s is a talented drummer. Jake is thrilled to be back in the US where he can be with all his family and friends and do all the things he enjoys. He also held his first job this year, and worked for Target for three months. Jake is a trouble free child who enjoys being home most of the time. He likes his video games and enjoys hanging out with his brothers. It is great to see that the family is so close.
Alex- Alex was a great support for him mom this year. Alex hardly ever complained about being in Costa Rica, but we knew he wasn’t happy there (although he now admits he like it a lot more now that he is away). His big highlight of the year was the three day adventure trip he took with Erica, Mother, and friends. They walked in rain and mud, explored the rain forest, and had the best trip ever. Alex also had a lot of fun with his Dad when they were able to row a kayak out into the ocean. One thing that made Alex happy in Costa Rica is there was never a shortage of good pizza, even if it meant delivery from Pizza Hut. Alex surprised us all this year with his amazing guitar playing, despite the degree of complexity that his brother Shawn has in his song writing, Alex is able to keep right up with him. He is very motivated to see his band succeed. Alex also loves to skateboard with his friends, and is enjoying attending Centennial High.
Kallie- Our beautiful little girl was enrolled in dance and gymnastics after returning home. She loves dancing and performing and being able to do things with other boys and girls. She had a chance to attend a private preschool where she actually had a bus pick her up from her home everyday. She was quickly becoming bilingual even though her classes were taught in English. She often asks to go back to her home in Costa Rica where she had friends she could play with in their neighborhood. Kallie is so much fun, she is spoiled by her older brother Shawn who buys anything she asks for and for Christmas Shawn got her a little battery operated mustang to drive so her little sister could have a car just like his. This year Brett and Kallie share lots of time together and she has become daddy’s girl. Brett is enjoying every minute he has with Kallie, knowing that soon she will be grown and he may be back in the workforce.