FAQs

When all of your dear ones are asking you all of the same questions, you must analyze why.

So we did.

And we figured it out.

Our blog is lopsided.

Since we are anti-phone-ians (if you're ever curious why, just ask) (it's a very interesting phenomenon that parenthood has brought on), the blog is one of our primary ways of communicating how we are doing.

And the frequently asked questions as of late have served as not-so-subtle hints informing us that this blog provides a very weird view of Armstrong life. Sure, it tells you exactly how Luke is, but he is the smallest and least responsible and most unemployed of us all. Richieandbethany.blogspot.com generally gives you no clue about how Richie and Bethany are doing. (Ironic, eh?)

Assuming all of the recent frequently asked questions weren't simply asked for courtesy's sake, and making a wild leap that some of you may actually be curious about Luke's parents, we provide below the answers to a few of the questions we answer on a near-daily basis. We understand, of course, that you will probably skip them and skim down, instead, to a sequence of pictures of the much cuter and much more entertaining one in his new Thank-Heaven-For-Grandparents-Who-Spoil-Their-Grandson raincoat.

We don't blame you.

But for those of you whose questions were asked out of genuine curiosity and not just well disguised courtesy, here are a few answers for you.

When is Richie finished with school?
December 2008, we hope. With these Ph.D.s, though, you never know. It could be December 2908.

What then?
Richie is hoping to land a tenure-track faculty position with Sacramento State University (CSUS). He applied to their current opening but knows it is a stretch, since he is in geotechnical engineering and the position is in structural engineering. (As Sarah would note, "They're the same, only different.") In the meantime, he was asked to teach two sections of a structural-engineering laboratory course as part-time faculty at CSUS. A trial-run of sorts. He is in his second week.

Where will you guys live?
We do want to stay in Davis, so if CSUS doesn't work out immediately upon his graduation, Richie would prefer getting a job with an engineering firm locally over seeking professor positions elsewhere. We are hoping to stay in West Davis until we need to relocate to convalescent homes. In terms of buying a home, we're several years off yet. Renting has its advantages. Someone comes to change your light bulbs and fix your sinks.

Does Bethany miss teaching?
Yes. No. Yes. No. Yes, she misses her teacherfriends. She misses them terribly. Yes, she misses the laughing and singing and playing P.E. and writing in different colors on the white board and all the fun, fun stuff about teaching. Yes, she misses the wonderful students of Esparto. No, she does not miss the staff meetings or the state testing or the principal evaluations. No, she does not miss the evenings full of work or the weekends full of work or the mornings full of work or the lunch hours full of work (oh wait, sounds like being a mom). For an out-of-home job, it was a dream; but she wouldn't trade this time with Luke for anything in the world. Yes (the answer to yet another FAQ), she really does love staying at home. (Most of what staying home involves, anyway. Dirty diapers throughout the day? Nah, not so enjoyable.)

Will she ever go back to teaching?
At this point, no. When the kiddos grow up she would love to go back into the classroom as a volunteer, because teachers need more help! Students need more help! But full-time paid position, probably not. She'd love to donate her time to the cause for free. (Easy to say at this point, pre-mortgage and pre-saving-for-putting-kids-through-college days.)

So are you guys thinking about another one?
Thinking? Sure! Not more than that. Although Bethany is wearing her fair share of empire-waisted shirts and dresses, there is no bun in the oven hiding underneath. Not until Luke sleeps better. (So they may be 18 years apart.)

And now we'll move on to what you all really wanted to see in the first place.